Talk Peace – Make Peace – 2006
Final Report – March - September
Following successful accomplishment of similar project in 2005 and success in fundraising in the second part of that year, the partner Organizations: Friendship Village and the Palestinian Institute for Peace and Democracy decided to run one more turn of this exceptional Project.
First intention was to start it in the end of January 2006, however high level political decisions – such as parliamentarian elections in the P.A., later on in Israel forced us to postpone the project to the end of March. It has to be remembered, that participants in this project had to be recruited from among young party activists in both societies: these are people, who surely would be very busy in time of elections.
Considering these political limitations, we decided to recruit participants along month of March, to hold selection meeting straight after Israeli elections to Parliament and to hold first joint meeting
( long weekend in Turkey) in the beginning of April.
The two partners agreed upon general framework of the Project: number of participants - 12 from each side, limitation of age: 20 – 35, language: Arabic and Hebrew (this decision demanded hiring two translators), schedule of all the Project and staffs: each partner would bring 2 professional facilitators and one translator.
In Friendship Village personnel we discussed the ideal composition of Israeli group: to invite young people from different sectors, which we would like to participate the project. We agreed on: 2/3 from centre & right political parties, while the rest would be community and socio-political leaders in promising NGOs. We also decided that 4 participants from the Israeli group will be Arab (Palestinians) Israelis. It is important for us as organization to emphasize for the young leaders (Jews & Palestinians) the special and important position of Palestinians, who live in Israel and have Israeli citizenship, but are still see themselves as part of the Palestinian people. They maybe live under the most complex situation in our conflict, but also can be the bridge for understanding between the rivals as they know both cultures as a part of their daily life. Difficulty that arouse from this decision was the national composition of the Project: 12 Palestinians, 4 Israeli Arabs, 8 Israel Jews. That meant – 16 Palestinians versus 8 Jews.
To ease this situation, our Palestinian partners accepted to include 2 of the Israeli Arabs on account of their quota, so final composition of participants was: 10 Palestinians, 10 Israeli Jews and 4 Israeli Arabs.
5 hour long selection meetings for Israeli nominees were held on 12 and 30 of February. These meetings fulfilled also need of acquaintance between potential participants. In the end 10 Israeli Jews and 4 Arabs were selected. All of them with academic education; 2 Labour activists, 4 from Kadima (Centre-Right), one from Likud (Right) and one from Meretz (Left). Their position in parties was in accordance with our demands: ex parliamentarian advisor, advisor in Prime Minister office, Head of local party group, head of University Student association etc.
Two additional participants are social activists: Spokeswoman of the Conservative Jewish Community and activist of the Oriental Jewish Association ( Keshet Mizrahit).
Out of the 10 Palestinian participants, 2 came from East Jerusalem, the rest from West Bank. Most of them high educated, some with academic degrees. All of them belong to the Fatah Party. Their qualifications are: Party activists, University Association activists, security officers. Unlike in Israeli group, differences in age were significant: female participants were in their early 20th, while some males were well over 30 – one of them even around 50 (!). (detailed list of the two groups – attached).
In 13 of March preparation seminar was hold for facilitators and the two staffs. Staff included 2 facilitators, one educational director and one organizational director from each side. Details of next meeting in Anatalia (Turkey) was discussed over, schedule prepared, financial plan was elaborated, including division of role of the two partners ( for example – how payment for meals or evening entertainment will be executed, flight of Palestinians from the West Bank will be arranged via Amman, odd cost for this flight had to be taken in consideration, etc.). Facilitators alone, educational experts alone and organizational directors alone prepared the Anatalia seminar.
The Seminar in Anatalia ( Aril 6 - 9 )
All participants on the list arrived. Palestinian participants who came via Amman arrived in time and the Seminar started on the 6th late afternoon. Accommodation was in fair and comfortable, and most participants expressed their satisfaction with it. Pre-planned schedule was fully executed, without any specific problems.
The seminar was composed of 7 bi-national and 2 single-identity units, each unit of 1½ hours. Languages of discussions were – Arabic and Hebrew. As most work was done in two working groups, two translators were employed along the seminar. Unfortunately one of them was lack of translation skills, so Mohammed Abd el Halim, the Israeli Educational Director had to spend most of his time in translating, instead of follow up and advisory for facilitators, who worked in workshops.
Workshops:
The seminar started with workshops in two mixed, Israeli – Palestinian working groups. They included standard beginning of conflict group encounters: coordinating expectations, identity on personal and group level, stereotypes, prejudices. Later on they switched to personal narratives, group narratives.
In the last workshops political problems started to be discussed, however many questions were left open. This will be able to make a good start for continuing the Project.
If the first workshops could be characterized by effort of each side to be "nice" and to prevent arising sensitive issues, later on the deeper feelings, anger, insults, prejudices came to surface. For example, when the Palestinian facilitator spoke Arabic to Palestinian participants, some of the Israelis reacted with nervousness: they demanded almost hysterically that each word should be translated. Their behaviour expressed deep mistrust toward the other side. On the other hand some other Israelis suddenly understood, how Palestinians feel, when their don't understand what Israelis speak among themselves – or in their daily life under occupation.
Another example of crisis can be mentioned, when one of the Palestinians compared the Naqba – the Palestinian disaster of '48 to the Holocaust, some of the Israelis reacted by outrage. The Palestinian participants left the workshops and it took a real effort from their group's leaders to bring her back to the discussion.
Each stage in the emotional process that the two sides went through in workshops, was followed by a single-identity session, run by facilitators of the same side, in purpose to discuss over difficulties, misunderstandings and behaviour of each participant, within their own national group.
It has to be remembered that in addition to workshops, the participants met in meals, breaks and in the evenings. These times gave invaluable opportunity for free interaction between individuals and small groups from the two sides.
In summing up session almost all participants from both side expressed a wish for "more".
On 20th of April the two staffs met again for a half day session. All the problems that arouse along the Anatalia seminar were discussed over: professional problems that had to be solved and personal frictions that had to be handled by the Directors. Final account settlement was done too, between the two Organizational Directors. Planning of next bi-national meeting was planned: it will be hold in A-Ram on the 6th of May and devoted to Palestinian angle of the conflict. Lately the Palestinian group changed two participants that left the Project: one of them for advanced maternity, the other one for dissatisfaction.
On 23th of April single-identity meeting of the Israeli group was hold. It focused on description of the Palestinian society. Opening lecture was given by Mr. Dani Rubinstein, expert for Palestinian society, working in the "Ha'aretz" liberal newspaper. The lecture was followed by two units of 1½ hour long workshop. One of the workshops was devoted to discussion about Mr. Rubinstein's lecture, while along the other one the participants arose their experience in meeting the Palestinians in Anatalia.
Only one participant expressed her mistrust toward the Palestinians and difficulties to take part in the emotional process. This participant protruded in Anatalia, by her opposition almost to everything that the facilitators did and by her very aggressive attitude toward the other side.
Contrary to her, almost all the others talked about their need for deeper understanding motivations and feelings of the Palestinians. The opportunity, given to Israeli Jews in this Project, to meet Israeli Arabs and to listen to their side from first source, was also emphasized by some.
7th of May - Bi-national meeting: it was hold in Hotel Claridge, in A-Ram. The place is not very suitable for seminars: there are no real rooms for meetings, so the two working groups met in rather uncomportable spaces. It seems that we have to look for a better place to meet. All the Israelis show up – except one. With the Palestinian group there was a problem: 5 of them were replaced by new participants who didn't go through initial process of acquaintance and dialogue. However the meeting managed well enough: started at 10:00, finished at 18:00. It focused on the separation wall, however started with a general debate about the political situation that was followed by lecture of Mr. Jamal Juma about implications of the Wall from Palestinian aspects. After short lunch the lecture's issue was discussed in bi-national working groups, followed uni-national ones. The seminar was finished by discussion in plenary.
The debate was rather "hot", however no real fights developed. The Israeli group demanded description of the situation not only from the Palestinian side, but also from Israeli aspect.
26 May – Israeli single-identity meeting: tour and study of problems in the mixed, Jewish-Arab town of Lod. In Lod there is about 15% Israeli – Palestinian population. Seeing the problems of this population (negligence, poverty, discrimination) arose hard emotions among the Jewish participants of the Israeli group. Meeting with Israeli Palestinians who live in underprivileged neighborhoods, discriminated by Authorities gave a useful comprehension for the group members, about Jewish – Palestinian relationships on general. Has to be mentioned, that inhabitants of a well off Jewish neighbourhood ( Nir Zvi) mean to build a separation wall between themselves and Arab neighbors. This plan arise high emotions among the Arab population of Lod. It was also discussed by the group – including natural comparision with the imfamous Separation Wall. Meeting included lecture.
16 June – Israeli single-identity meeting: Lecture of Ms. Tamar Zilberstein about history of Jewish – Arab relationships in Mandatorial Palestine: confrontations and cooperation.
Vivid discussion developed in working groups, followed by plenary session about reasons of these complicated relationships. Objective conflict of interests between the two rival national groups. Character of cooperation, on one hand based on Jewish private employers ( mostly farmers) and Arab employees – on the other hand joint struggles of Arab and Jewish workers' organizations, for better working conditions.
29 July – Bi national meeting: tour along the Separation Wall.
This study tour, planned long time ago was hold, in spite of the hard political situation (Lebanon war, extended activities of Israel Army in Palestinian territories). Short pre-survey among participants proved, that all Israelis and Palestinians expressed their willingness to meet. So in spite of very stressed public atmosphere against any meeting between Israelis & Palestinians, and 2 participants that were drafted to the army (reserve service), we decide not to cancel or delay our plan. One of the reasons to do so was that a meeting in June was already canceled, so we didn't want to get too long break between meetings. We had 2 staff meetings in Jerusalem to prepare this tour & social meeting.
Finally to the meeting 7 Israeli Jewish Participants show up: Avi, Ayelet, Itay, Eli, Inbal Galit & Ziv (a new participant), and 3 Arabs from Israel (Salech, Huria and Alla). From the Palestinian side 5 participants came from the West Bank: Ali, Muhammad Sayad, Sami & another 2 new participants. 3 more Palestinians from Beit Lechem and Tul Karem were stopped in the checkpoints and couldn’t arrive. From the staff arrived Waffa, Abdalla & Youval (coordinators) and Rimonda as translator. We decided to hold this meeting without the facilitators.
The meeting started with a tour to the separation wall. The tour guide – Hagit Tesler is an activist in Geneva Accord organization, and she used to be assistant to the Mr. Y. Bailin (Then Avoda today Yachad-Meretz Party). We started the tour in A-Ram at 10:00. We observed the final section of the wall construction, and were explained the enormous difficulties that it creates to the Palestinians (some of them with Israeli ID): Cutting them off from the center of their life, including jobs, schools, business hospitals etc.
We continued to the Beit Jalla checkpoint, that was rebuilt as a huge border check-point. We watched the long line of people waiting to pass from the Palestinian Authority side to Israeli side. At that point Hagit called for questions from the participants and some discussion was started to develop. It became quite conflictual & tense, so we asked the people to hold up their opinion and feelings to later discussions and workshops…
The tour was continued around the separation fence, which enclose the north-west neighborhoods (settlements) of Jerusalem (Neve Yaakov, Pisgast Zee'v) and cut them off the Palestinian territories and learned about the different Israelis authorities' explanations about routing the fence at the present location (some are from defence point of view but others are strictly political…). We finished our tour at Hizma check point around 13:00.
We continued to a lunch picnic at a Dir Hijla - a small dessert Oasis near Jericho. Some people brought their favorite dishes from home. The atmosphere was nice. It was a social - cultural meeting between friends but the tense of the stress of war and conflict was also there…
Seminar in Larnaka (Cyprus) – 8-11.September
After summer holidays and the series of political crisises short time ago ( kidnapping Israeli soldiers, Lebanon war, growing oppression in the Palestinian territories, extension of military activities in Gaza etc.), we and our partner decided in a joint meeting that we held in August, to go ahead with the final, summing up 3 days long seminar in Cyprus. Decision was not so easy by the Palestinian side, as public opinion among their people turning more and more against meeting Israelis in any framework. However, as they believe that such meetings are important – and beneficial – they decided to go on. Still some of the Palestinian group decided to quit, therefore missing participants were replaced by new ones.
This last seminar was planned carefully in another joint staff meeting with all directors and 2 Facilitators (two couldn’t arrive but made a separate preparation meeting with the Educational Director). We started the seminar with some problems:
1.
2-3 weeks after the war, the atmosphere is still very tense.
2-3 weeks after the war, the atmosphere is still very tense. 2. Some of the participant couldn’t come from personal obligation that they couldn’t change. To overcome decrease in number of Israeli participants, (although, only one of them said he would permanently quit from the project: Shely Malka – because of his new delicate governmental position), we decided to draft two new participants (one from the Likud party & the other from the Avoda Party). So we kept reasonable representation of center-right young politicians in the seminar.
Some of the participant couldn’t come from personal obligation that they couldn’t change. To overcome decrease in number of Israeli participants, (although, only one of them said he would permanently quit from the project: Shely Malka – because of his new delicate governmental position), we decided to draft two new participants (one from the Likud party & the other from the Avoda Party). So we kept reasonable representation of center-right young politicians in the seminar. 3. Just two day before the seminar, one of the facilitators (Danna Bader) announced that she couldn't come to the seminar (Her grandfather was dying). Further more: one day before the seminar Abdulla's (the Palestinian director) mother died and he couldn’t come too.
Just two day before the seminar, one of the facilitators (Danna Bader) announced that she couldn't come to the seminar (Her grandfather was dying). Further more: one day before the seminar Abdulla's (the Palestinian director) mother died and he couldn’t come too.Eventually, composition of participants was as such: 8 Israelis (Inbal, Galit, Einat, Ayelet, Eeli Hazan, Jonathan Green, Barak Naphtali (new guy, Head of Likud branch at Herzalia), Itay Gomez & Golan Shull (new guy - Avoda party representative in the city council of Lod); 4 Israeli Arabs (Slach, Sana, Huria & Alla) and 8 Palestinians from the West Bank and Jerusalem: Jennifer (new participant) , Akram, Ali, Muhammad Sayad, Sami, Ibrahim, Feda & Kifah (new).
Staff included: 4 facilitators: Mannar Yaakub & Adi Maoz and Mysun Badawi & Liron Tal, (who replaced Dannna Bader).
First day - we arrived to the hotel in Larnaka already at 10:00, and opened the program in a short Plenary session at 11:30 after breakfast & check in (The Palestinians from the west bank arrived from Amman one day before, and went in the morning to tour the city, so arrived just on time).
That day 3 additional workshops (each 1.5 hours) were hold: 2 bi-national and 1 Uni-national. At 19:00 program was ended because most of the group came after very short night sleep (Flight from TA was 7:05am so passengers had to come at 4:00am to the airport).
Some time in those workshops was spent on re-acquaintance & trust building activities, because of the new participants & long break in meetings for some of the group. Also in both workshops the facilitators had to work on coordinating expectations between the participants.
Second day - morning session (9:00-13:30) 3 workshops: 2 bi-national and 1 Uni-national. Afternoon we went to tour in Nicosia. We asked the tour guide to focus on the recent history of the conflict between Turks and Greeks in Cyprus. The Tour guide was nice and professional but obviously biased to the Greek Cypriots' side.
3' and last day - 2 long workshops were hold, followed by summary in plenary. The facilitators decided to use one of the sessions to uni-national summary so actually all this day was spent over summaries of all the Project: 1. In the bi-national workshop groups;
2. In the Uni-national forum
3. Shorter and more official summary in plenary.
4. Filling Individual Summary feedback papers.
Conclusion:
1. The long break (from May until September) in real bi-national workshops was destructive. At that time the conflict became even harder (much more Palestinian death in Gaza every day and the war in Lebanon). So, when partners in conflict (especially the weak side) met again they had retaliate and reflect again their pains and anger. Only after that, they could continue from the place they where almost 4 month before. But the last seminar was too short to have the time to reach this point. Maybe in the second day they could start something new, but knowing that it is end of the program, kind of stopped them from trying (facilitators & Participants) getting out of their loop.
2. Most participants (new & old), where quite positive in their feedback in oral summary and in papers. The major success is that they understand better today the other side's daily life situation & their point of view and even to some degree they changed their own perceptions.
3. Even though the groups went through hard accusations and mistrust for quite a long period, in the end the groups went through a great progress. This progress was most impressive in those people who expressed very militant line from the beginning. I believe that the dynamic process succeeded to change those people: they became a little more humble, peaceful and open to listen to different voice.
Donors that made us possible to realise the Project
Networking for Peace (Canada)
British Foreign Office
Amberstone Fdn (U.K.)
Danielle Mitterrand Fdn. (France)
DIPG (Germany)
