In Ireland for their biannual meeting, the Elders met senior politicians to push for the EU-wide labelling of Israeli settlement goods; heard from young activists in Northern Ireland about their growing political disillusionment; and appointed a new Chair.

"Labelling Israeli settlement products would be a small step but a big political signal." Mary Robinson

Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mary Robinson talk to RTÉ Radio One's Richard Crowley about The Elders' call for Europe to play a stronger role in the Middle East peace process.

“When the first demonstration happened, I thought: how can they be Jewish?”

In East Jerusalem, Israelis and Palestinians have joined forces to protest settlement expansion into Palestinian neighbourhoods. Six months after The Elders last visited the region, a new documentary tells the story of this shared struggle.

"The EU has repeatedly urged Israel to “immediately end all settlement activity”. And yet, by trading with settlements, Europe is inadvertently shoring up their economic viability and contributing to their permanence."

The Elders urge the EU to pressure Israel to end expansion of its illegal settlements. By taking action on settlement products, they argue, Europe can help to safeguard the two-state solution. A version of this article first appeared in The Guardian.

"The peace process established in Oslo has not just stalled; it is going backwards fast."

A vote for the Palestinian statehood resolution at the UN General Assembly will help safeguard the two-state solution, write Gro Harlem Brundtland and Jimmy Carter in the International Herald Tribune.

“This new outbreak of violence is heartbreaking – and all too familiar." Desmond Tutu

As violence escalates in Gaza and Israel, the Elders call for an immediate cessation of hostilities, and for the international community to renew efforts to resolve the decades-long conflict.