Context:
During the second half of the 1990s a plethora of Israeli-Palestinian ‘people-to-people’ programmes were meant to build public support for peace and thus minimise the influence of ‘veto’ groups on both sides and reduce their capacity to sustain the conflict. But after more than a decade of hard work it seems that those who support a peaceful resolution of the conflict remain in a weaker position than those who support its continuation until the ‘other’ is defeated once and for all.
One possible reason for this is that the conflict between these two apparently homogenous societies as seen from a macro-level perspective can hide far-reaching divisions within each society at the meso- and micro-levels. Witness, for instance, the acrimonious relationship between Hamas and Fatah, or between secular Israeli Jews and the ultra-orthodox community. These intra-societal divisions jump to the foreground as soon as a political agreement to a protracted conflict is reached or is about to be reached. ‘Veto’ groups consolidate in each society.
The challenge on the micro-level, therefore, is to invent a more robust conflict resolution approach that successfully addresses the identity-level concerns of the participants in the conflict situation, across the conflict lines and, perhaps more importantly at this stage of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, within each society separately.

Geographical location:
Israel, Occupied Palestinian Territory, EU Member States

Partners:

• The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) (Occupied Palestinian Territory)
• Young Israeli Forum for Cooperation (YIFC) (Israel)
• The Interdisciplinary Centre for Conflict Analysis, Political Development and World Society Research (TRANSFORM) (Germany)

Objectives:

• Work towards strengthening Israeli and Palestinian civil society to change institutions, by influencing opinion makers and mobilising public opinion behind a new inclusive agenda for transforming the conflict from below.
• Demonstrate the effectiveness of a new methodological synthesis in empowering groups and individuals to articulate and implement strategies for organisational development, creative conflict engagement and attitudinal change.
• Form a core group of leaders/facilitators, trained in the use of methods of ‘conflict-sensitive social transformation’, and committed to pursue the cause of building positive peace from below (in each society separately and jointly) with minimal financial compensation.

Expected results:

• Individuals from Israeli-Palestinian coalitions across the conflict line starting to implement strategies for mobilising public opinion behind the need to transform the conflict into a catalyst for peace and development in both societies and in the region at large
• Two sets of Israeli and Palestinian ‘veto’ groups (15 from each society joined by ten Europeans) provided with tools to reconcile their identities with the imperative of resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
• Training manual revised and translated into Hebrew and Arabic
• A core group of 36 Israeli, Palestinian and European leaders/facilitators have articulated a strategic plan for replicating the action on a larger scale

Activities:

• Expert meetings
• Training of trainers and facilitators
• Facilitated uni-national, bi-national and multi-national workshops
• Grant-making for implementing action plans created in the workshops and evaluation, both formative and summative

Target group:

• Community-based networks in Palestine
• Non-governmental organisations in Israel
• Israeli and Palestinian civil society organisations working jointly to end the occupation and promote peaceful coexistence
• Students, young people, social entrepreneurs and political activists (men and women), including those belonging to ‘veto’ or ‘blocking’ groups in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory

Final beneficiaries:

• The peace camp and social justice movement in Israel
• Local communities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory
• Existing Israeli and Palestinian coalitions cooperating across the conflict line

Funding:
320.000 € (2008-2010)