CLH Talks | From the River to the Sea - an Israeli-Palestinian dialogue

Join us for this personal exploration of the Israel-Palestine conflict, through the eyes of two guest speakers who have significant and deep links to the region and its the culture and history. The aim will be to enlighten and share perspectives, not to persuade or debate.

What is our CLH Talks programme?
These meetings feature long-form lectures, or interview-style dialogues conducted with special guest speakers with an in-depth knowledge of the chosen field.

Get to know the guest speakers
Yaniv Aknin is a British-Israeli software engineer, living in London with his wife and two boys. He was born and raised in Israel, most of his family and friends still live there. He’s a member of Humanists UK and participates in CLH activities.

Ahmad Al Saadi is a Palestinian activist, he was born in the diaspora and is currently based in Germany. As the director of the peace project Shalom und Salam, he is committed to fostering understanding and dialogue between communities. His work centres on raising awareness of Palestinian perspectives and promoting constructive conversations around human rights, justice, and social equity.

Ahmad and Yaniv met in 2023, as part of a dialogue group organised by the School for Peace in Neve Shalom / Wahat as-Salam, a cooperative village in Israel. The village was jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to promote peaceful coexistence in the region.

The moderator
Alavari Jeevathol serves as a director and trustee of Humanists International. He is a founding trustee of the National Multifaith Youth Centre in the UK. He also serves as national coordinator of Young Humanists UK. His particular focus is on young humanists, on dialogue between faith and belief groups based on a shared humanistic spirituality, and on supporting non-religious asylum seekers and refugees. He also strives to work on issues of ecological sustainability for future generations. He was born in south India and is based in London, UK.

The meeting will offer personal perspectives on:

• The Israeli and Palestinian diaspora experience
• How the conflict affects daily life, and deciding to be an activist
• Being a Palestinian living and working in Germany right now
• Receiving and responding to family, friends, and neighbours with different views on the conflict
• How a humanist/atheist stance can be relevant to understanding the conflict and taking up a conscientious position
• What practical steps can those in the UK, Germany, and other higher-income Western countries do in response to the conflict
• The biggest misconceptions on both sides of the conflict
• What dialogue looks like , and why it can offer a path for progress

What will the format of the discussion be?
A moderated dialogue for the first part, and then audience questions.

Are RSVPs essential?
Yes, attendee spaces are limited.

Is there a cost to attend?
We ask for a £3.00 suggested donation from those who are able, to help cover the group's costs (we do not have a membership fee like other groups).

Photos and social media clips
This meeting will be recorded as an online webinar on Zoom and published afterwards on YouTube and other CLH social media. The moderator and two speakers will be recorded on video and audio. The audience will not be recorded.

Click here for a full list of FAQs related to Central London Humanists, and our events.