78. "No Hope But Peace and Justice" - An Israeli and a Palestinian in Dialogue

"Many in society saw the news and understood there's no hope for peace. But I understood there's no hope but peace." — Yaniv AkninWhat does humanism actually ask of us when we confront the Israel-Palestine conflict? In this episode we preview a special Festival of Humanism session, exploring how secular, rational and compassionate values can cut through motivated reasoning and moral blind spots to rebuild shared ground between Palestinians and Israelis.Our guests are Dr Jasr Kawkby, a British-Palestinian paediatrician raised in Gaza, and Yaniv Aknin, a British-Israeli software engineer and former soldier, who work together on peacebuilding, dialogue and nonviolent advocacy.In this conversation we cover:Their personal journeys from a Gaza refugee camp and a secular Zionist household in Tel Aviv to a shared humanist platformHow humanist values (curiosity, rationality, secularism and the dignity of every life) can reframe history, accountability and the path forwardWhy both believe nonviolence and sustained dialogue, not force, are the only routes to peace, justice and equalityJasr and Yaniv host "No Hope But Peace: A Dialogue Between an Israeli and a Palestinian" at the Festival of Humanism in Bournemouth on 13–14 June.Links:Festival of Humanism 2026: https://humanists.uk/events/festival2026/Send us Fan MailSupport the showSupport Humanism Now & Join Our Community!Follow @HumanismNowPod | YouTube | TikTok | Instagram | Facebook | Threads | X.com | BlueSkyHumanism Now is produced by Humanise Live a podcast production agency based in London, serving charities, companies, and individuals across the globe.Contact us to get starting in podcasting today at humanise.live or [email protected]: Blossom by Light PrismPodcast transcripts are AI-generated and may contain errors or omissions. They are provided to make our content more accessible, but should not be considered a fully accurate record of the conversation.