France Turns G7 Civil Society Commitment Into Policy Amid Middle East Escalation
France’s civil society–centred diplomacy reshapes Middle East policy, advancing peacebuilding, regulatory change and EU coordination in conflict zones
The rocket alert notifications buzzing on phones during a diplomatic meeting at the Élysée Palace captured the stark reality of Middle East peacebuilding in 2025. As French President Emmanuel Macron met with Israeli and Palestinian civil society representatives on Friday evening, Iran launched a counterattack on Israel, striking Tel Aviv. The convergence of violence and diplomacy represented France’s unprecedented decision to integrate grassroots actors directly into international diplomatic efforts during an active security crisis.
The meeting formed part of the Paris Call for Peace, hosted under Macron’s high patronage by the Paris Peace Forum and co-organised by the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP). The gathering brought together hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian peacebuilders, marking the largest shared civil society assembly since October 2024.
Operationalising G7 Commitments
France has become the first G7 country to operationalise the group’s 2024 commitment to institutionalise support for Israeli-Palestinian civil society peacebuilding. While the G7’s approach traditionally focused on high-level diplomatic coordination, the Paris meeting represented a move toward treating grassroots actors as essential partners rather than peripheral observers.
The Alliance for Middle East Peace, which coordinates over 170 civil society organisations, has been advocating for this multilateral backing. The coalition has secured over $90 million in US funding through legislative efforts like the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act and is building an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace aimed at providing at least $200 million annually to scale grassroots peacebuilding.
Macron’s remarks to attendees emphasised civil society’s central role in any lasting peace process. ‘If you want to stop war and dismantle the consequences of war,’ he said, ‘you have to present, provide and implement a reasonable political hope – which is exactly two states living together, two people respecting each other, and people like you, endorsing the capacity to live with somebody with another story.’
Diplomacy Under Fire
The timing created an almost surreal diplomatic environment. ‘The dissonance was hard to explain,’ said John Lyndon, Executive Director of ALLMEP. ‘On the one hand, we were meeting with the French President, in his beautiful residence, hearing him speaking powerfully about the importance of this work, and its essential role in shaping a more peaceful reality. On the other, it was one of the most dangerous nights the Middle East has seen in decades, with our members stranded in Paris, and their families – both Israeli and Palestinian – in terror, as missiles were raining down.’
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