Miko Peled whose father served as a general in Arab-Israeli War of 1967 speaks for the rights of Palestinians and says condemning Palestinians under oppression for resisting is the height of hypocrisy.

Israeli activist and writer Miko Peled, the grandson of a signatory to the Israeli state’s 1948 Declaration of Independence, criticises Tel Aviv’s policies towards Palestine, asserts that they cannot defeat the Palestinians.

The author, whose father served as a general in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967, spoke to Anadolu about his journey as an activist advocating for the rights of Palestinians, and evaluated the current conflict that started on October 7.

“I come from a very prominent Zionist patriotic family. I grew up as a patriot, a strong supporter of my country, my state, and of course, Zionism,” said Peled, who was born in Jerusalem in 1961.

He was greatly influenced by his father ‘s ideas in the early years of his life, and served in the military for a while but later regretted it and left.

“My father, while still in uniform right after the war, said: ‘Look, we are here forever, our existence is no longer uncertain or in danger. We must allow the Palestinians to have their small state in a small part of Palestine.’As soon as the war ended, they started building massive cities in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.”