Mattityahu Peled

Mattityahu "Matti" Peled (; born Mattityahu Ifland, 20 July 1923 – 10 March 1995) was an Israeli military officer, academic, and politician. He held the rank of ''Aluf'' (Major General) in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and served on the General Staff during the Six-Day War in 1967.

Following the war, Peled advocated for negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization and supported a complete withdrawal from the territories occupied during and after the conflict. These positions were considered controversial within Israeli political discourse at the time.

Peled retired from the IDF in 1969 and pursued academic studies, obtaining a Ph.D. in Arabic literature from the University of California, Los Angeles. He subsequently joined the faculty at Tel Aviv University, where he taught until 1990 and served as head of the Department of Arabic Language and Literature. Concurrently, he became involved in political and peace-related advocacy. He was a founding member of the Israel Council for Israeli-Palestinian Peace and participated in meetings with representatives of the PLO during a period when such contacts were subject to legal restrictions.

In 1984, Peled was elected to the Knesset as a member of the Progressive List for Peace and served until 1988. He later took part in the formation of Gush Shalom and expressed support for Israeli soldiers who refused to serve in the occupied territories.

Peled initially supported the Oslo Accords but later voiced criticism regarding their implementation. He remained active in public and political life until his death in 1995. Provided by Wikipedia