Peace Now (Shalom Achshav) in 10 Minutes

Born in the hopeful afterglow of Sadat's visit to Jerusalem and the Camp David Accords, Peace Now—Shalom Achshav—arose in 1978 when hundreds of Israeli reserve officers and ordinary citizens signed an open letter urging their government not to squander the chance for peace through territorial compromise. From its earliest mass rallies in Tel Aviv's Kings of Israel Square to its ongoing vigils against settlement expansion, the movement has sought to keep the demand for a negotiated two-state solution at the center of Israeli public life, becoming both a persistent moral voice for the left and a perennial target for those who regard its urgency as naïve or perilous.