An Israeli and a Palestinian victims of the conflict in the Holy Land reject revenge: Leo XIV Ambassador for Peace

The Israeli Maoz Inon has chosen the path of forgiveness. The terrorist group Hamas murdered his parents Bilha and Yakovi and many of his childhood friends in the OCTOBER 7 ATTACKSbut did not let revenge anid in his heart.

“I realized that the only way to heal is to travel towards peace and reconciliation. We are four brothers and we have all rejected revenge. We decided to break the cycle of violence, blood, hate and fear that has been caught for more than a century,” he says in conversation with ACI Press.

Therefore, he joined the organization InterAct Founded in 2018 by the Palestinian Aziz Sarah, also a victim of the conflict: one of his brothers died in the first intifada more than 30 years after being tortured in an Israeli prison.

Together they lead a project to achieve a peace agreement before 2030 and are convinced that Pope Leo XIV can help them: “It is our peace ambassador.” His initiative challenges the worst moment of war in the Middle East in decades.

“600 days have passed since the murder of my parents and there are more than 10,000 dead in Gaza. It seems that violence has no end. That is why we have to cry together and ask for peace. It is an obligation,” he says after verifying with bitterness that both in Israeli society and in the Palestine the hatred has multiplied.

“Peace is part of Jewish identity”

“At this time, Israeli society is demoralized and there is no talk of peace, but there are signs of hope,” he says.

Maoz is convinced that he is not the only Israeli who cries for “the children of Gaza.” A small sample of this were the 8,000 attendees to the People’s Peace Summit, un Paz event held in Jerusalem on May 8 and 9. “Peace is part of Jewish identity. Unfortunately, we forget it,” he remarks.

His initiative was endorsed by Pope Francis on May 18, 2024 during the Arena de Paz meeting in Verona. The fraternal hug that Maoz and his Palestinian friend moved the Argentine pontiff. On May 30 they were received by their successor, Leo XIV in the Vatican.

“Pope Francis has been a light that has guided us”

“The bishop of Verona, Mons. Domenico Pompili, called us and told us that Pope Leo XIV wanted to meet with the organizers of La Arena de la Paz, because he wanted to continue with the path drawn by Pope Francis. It was a pleasant surprise,” says Maoz.

The Diocese and the City Council of the Italian city had an audience with the Argentine Pope for the anniversary of this meeting. However, after his death on April 21 he was canceled.

“He had not spent a month of his choice and wanted to receive us. This fills us with hope. Pope Francis has been a light that has even guided us in the moments in the darkest moments, when the conflict made me lose strength. And now I feel that Pope Leo XIV will also be like that,” he explains.

In the meeting with the Pontiff, other organizations that fight for human rights and peace also participated as Mediterranea Human SavingReleases, the Italian network for peace and disarmament; The presidencies of Catholic Action or doctors without borders.

There he was presented with a formal proposal to be his ambassador to world leaders in the next G7 that will take place from June 15 to 17 in Kananaskis, Alberta, (Canada).

“His leadership and moral value are crucial. Because there is a lack of world leadership. We want him to mediate them to put this war end,” he explains.

“He is the leader of the Catholic world, but also has a lot of influence on other religions,” he adds.

In this way, Maoz insists that it is also necessary to create “a multinational and multirreligious coalition” that supports this goal of a stable peace.

“Many see this conflict between Israel and Palestine as a war of religions, but I believe that religion can be the solution. At this time, religions have been expelled by extremists, by the Israeli government and by Hamas. But it is necessary to return to the prophets of peace,” he concluded.