Miko Peled

Miko Peled: the general’s son who went from Israeli insider to government critic

Who better to tell the world about the state of Israel today than someone whose father served as a general in the 1967 war? Laurie Holden of the Hastings and Rye Palestine Solidarity Campaign writes.

Miko Peled was raised in the heart of Israel’s elite. His grandfather signed the ‘Declaration of Independence’ and his father was a General in the Israel Defence Force (IDF). But Miko has become an outspoken critic of Israel’s aggressive policies towards the Palestinians.

He will shortly be speaking in Hastings, giving an account of his conversion from Israeli insider to someone who has understood the injustices inflicted on the Palestinian people, with a desire to do something about it.

Miko’s transformation followed his father’s own change of heart. General Peled learnt about a massacre of Palestinian men and boys by the IDF in the ’67 war – which was a turning point for him. The general tried to investigate the massacre, to get some sort of justice for those who suffered, but was stonewalled by senior Israeli military commanders and politicians. Later, the general tried to bring about peace talks, only to see agreements cynically ignored by successive Israeli governments, as seems to continue to this day.

Miko has a great insight into Israel’s history, the state of the occupation today and of how best to move forward with possible solutions to the conflict. He speaks with real humanity and clarity and we welcome this opportunity to hear about the issues at this crucial time.

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