May Pundak is the Israeli co-executive director of A Land for All, a joint Palestinian-Israeli movement working towards a political framework in which two democratic, sovereign states exist within a shared homeland, rooted in equality, freedom, and dignity. In a dialogue first broadcast as part of the Pocket Project's World Women Summit: Women Rising for Peace in March, May speaks about her commitment to keeping "that spark of constructive, practical hope" alive despite the devastating escalation in violence since the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. In September last year, a U.N. commission of inquiry concluded that the Israeli state had committed genocide in Gaza in response. Israel's government rejected the findings. "We have to keep that flame of political imagination of an alternative so that people, when they are confronted by this conflict, their immediate response won't be, 'oh, it's impossible', but rather 'you know what? I've actually heard of a really interesting new idea,'" May tells host Kosha Joubert. By envisioning a form of confederation, with gradual steps towards freedom of movement and residence for all Israelis and Palestinians, A Land for All's 'two states, one homeland' model aims to offer national self-determination without domination, shared governance without erasing identity, and security without subjugation. "Maybe the most hopeful thing that I can share is that we're a movement that is growing, that is since October 7th, we've been growing," May says. This moving dialogue shows how Israelis and Palestinians are coming together in the most challenging of circumstances to build a shared vision for peace, and powerfully articulates the importance of love and belonging as the foundations for all peace-building work. Further Resources: A Land for All Support the Pocket Project's Work in the Middle East: Jewish Trauma Relief Project Spaces of Belonging: Resilience and Community for Palestinians (Fundraiser) Palestine Trauma Relief Project Catch Up on the Podcast Episodes Mentioned: Bonus Poem Episode, with Carolina Herbert Building Circles of Resilience in Ukraine, with Daria Yemets About May Pundak: May Pundak is a mother, daughter and granddaughter, a partner, feminist lawyer and activist and co-director of A Land for All. In her previous role, she worked at the New Israel Fund in the United States. May assisted in establishing a legal team to support political struggles in East Jerusalem and co-founded an educational dialogue group program. May is a graduate of the Mandel School of Educational Leadership and a graduate of Harvard University's Leadership, Community Organizing and Activism course. She holds a teaching certificate in civics and a bachelor's and master's degree in law in the field of public and international law, with an emphasis on human rights, including Transitional Justice studies, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A Land for All is a joint Israeli-Palestinian political initiative rooted in the lived reality of this land. It was founded by people who know the conflict not from headlines but from daily life. Together, we have dared to imagine a different future and have crafted a shared political vision grounded in dignity, equality, and belonging for both peoples. We are a generative source of ideas and expertise for policymakers and peacebuilders seeking to advance a two-state solution that is not only equitable in theory but workable in practice - for both peoples. Our model rejects zero-sum thinking on complex issues like Jerusalem, settlements, and refugees, and instead promotes creative and fair solutions. Since 2012, we have brought together activists, academics, diplomats, and thought leaders around a simple and powerful truth: this land is home to two peoples. Any lasting resolution must affirm the equal right of both nations to self-determination - while honoring their unique identities, histories, and needs. Our lives are already inextricably intertwined, not only emotionally and historically, but in the most basic, everyday ways: through shared aquifers, electricity grids, labor markets, and security realities. A shared peaceful future requires a political framework that reflects our interdependence, alongside our separate needs. Without it, we remain trapped in the cycles of fear, violence, and loss. The brutal attack on Israel on October 7th and the unprecedented and unrelenting violence that has followed in the Gaza Strip and West Bank have laid bare the urgent need for a just and lasting resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Decades of occupation, escalating violence, and the erosion of democratic space have brought us to a critical turning point, revealing the patent failure of efforts to "manage" the conflict. In response, the international community has renewed its support for the two-state solution. Yet the assumptions underpinning the Oslo Accords - rigid geographical separation and indifference towards deeply held historical and identity ties - have proven unworkable. The time has come for a two-state solution that can actually work--one that guarantees self-determination for both peoples while embracing our interdependence and common attachment to the land. A Land for All: Two States, One Homeland - was founded by Israelis and Palestinians as a joint movement with a vision both simple and transformative. We envision two democratic, sovereign states - Israel and Palestine - linked together in a confederation with gradual steps toward freedom of movement and residence for all Israelis and Palestinians across our shared homeland. Our model offers national self-determination without domination, shared governance without erasing identity, and security without subjugation.
