The Future Is Peace: Two days dedicated to Israeli-Palestinian dialogue
On 21 and 22 October 2026, the two internationally renowned peace activists and authors, Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon, were our guests. At an evening event at the Jewish Museum Vienna, followed by a visit to the HTL Spengergasse, they shared their personal experiences and their shared vision of a peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians.
An evening of dialogue and reconciliation
On 21 October, Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon held a discussion at the Jewish Museum Vienna under the title The Future Is Peace with Tessa Szyszkowitz, journalist and curator at the Bruno Kreisky Forum, on ways out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The event took place in collaboration with the Jewish Museum, the Israel Studies Centre Vienna and the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue.
Both peace activists have suffered serious personal losses as a result of the conflict, yet they have made a conscious choice to reject retaliation and to embrace dialogue, reconciliation and peaceful coexistence.
Their message: Peace is neither a mere demand nor a naïve hope. It arises through concrete action, through encounter, and through the recognition of the equal dignity and rights of all people. By sharing their personal experiences with others, Abu Sarah and Inon are committed to overcoming entrenched stereotypes of the enemy and opening up new perspectives for peaceful coexistence.
Meeting the next generation
On 22 October, the two continued their discussions at the HTL Spengergasse. There, they met pupils and students from the design department and spoke openly about their personal stories, their experiences of the conflict and their joint work for peace. In a question-and-answer session that followed, the young people were able to share their thoughts and ask questions.
In addition, Veronika Sartore from the Yad be Yad association led a short workshop on the topics of anti-Semitism and anti-Muslim discrimination. This linked the international perspective on peace work with an examination of prejudice, exclusion and coexistence within our own social context.
Dialogue as a tool
The two events highlighted just how important it is to have spaces for open dialogue between people with different experiences, perspectives and identities, as well as across generations. The meeting between Aziz Abu Sarah and Maoz Inon shows that even where loss and suffering have created deep rifts, it is still possible to choose understanding.
For the Bruno Kreisky Forum for International Dialogue, a key priority is to facilitate such encounters and to promote dialogue across conflict lines. After all, a peaceful future does not come about by itself: it requires people who are prepared to listen to one another, to take responsibility and, despite everything, to believe in the possibility of peace – as well as places where this can happen.
