October 7 and the Gaza war have challenged longstanding conceptions about the viability of peace in the Middle East and the role of global actors in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Now that a ceasefire has been declared, the Israeli government appears set to barrel ahead with the judicial overhaul, while tightening its grip on the occupied territories and repressing critical voices in the country. Israel's oppression of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, often in violation of international law, is, meanwhile, taking a rare toll on its special relationship with Germany.

With a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza now in effect, is Middle East peace still salvageable? And if so, what role might the victims and survivors of the two-year-long war – along with civil society groups – play in the process? How has the Israeli government's assault on democracy affected coverage of the war and of human rights abuses in the West Bank, and how can journalists be expected to operate under its growing restrictions? Will the war in Gaza, despite having ended, continue to reverberate in the streets of Germany and in its cultural institutions? And how might Germany use its clout to help sustain the ceasefire and lead Israelis and Palestinians to a diplomatic solution?