Origins
Peace Now was formed during the 1978 Israeli-Egyptian peace talks between Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat at a time when the talks looked close to collapse.
348 reserve officers and soldiers from Israeli army combat units published an open letter to the Prime Minister of Israel in which they called for the Israeli government not to squander the historic opportunity for peace between the two nations. The officers realised that Israel could not retain its Jewish-democratic nature whilst it continued to perpetuate its rule over one million Arabs. They concluded that Israel's security needs could only be met by the attainment of peace between Israel and its neighbours via a negotiated agreement. Subsequently tens of thousands of Israelis petitioned the Israeli government in support of the letter, and as a result the movement known as Peace Now was born.
Read more about this topic: Peace Now
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