The German Mennonite Peace Committee is honoring an Israeli-Palestinian renewable energy humanitarian organization with the 2025 Michael Sattler Peace Prize.
The organization, Comet Middle East, supports rural Palestinian communities in the West Bank with access to electricity and other essential services. General manager Asmahan Simry will accept the award May 21 in Rottenburg am Neckar on the anniversary and location of Sattler’s execution.
CME’s work combines peace and justice efforts with ecological concerns and a practical approach to securing basic needs such as electricity, water, internet and security. Off-grid photovoltaic systems provide power to refrigeration and dairy processing equipment. This enables more efficient milk and cheese production than the labor-intensive manual methods that previously were necessary due to the lack of electricity.
The organization supplies 2,400 Palestinian households with electricity through solar and wind power systems or battery storage in an area where the Israeli military has full control over civilian infrastructure. Almost all Palestinian requests for connection to the national electricity and water grid are denied.
The peace committee is planning a learning tour with CME in September.
Have a comment on this story? Write to the editors. Include your full name, city and state. Selected comments will be edited for publication in print or online.