2. Dear Friends,
This past year has been a slow one for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.
But it has been an active year for us.
With over 100 events that included over 6,500 participants, we have
continued our work to bolster public support for the two-state solution. The
political atmosphere has not been easy, but with 58 percent of the public’s
support for our parameters for an agreement, we have all the reasons we
need to persist forward.
Enclosed, in a few short pages, is a snapshot of some of our activities during
the past year.
As we head into 2012, we will continue to stress this basic point: the status
quo is not sustainable. The current diplomatic impasse will shift one way
or the other and we should not adopt a wait-and-see approach. While we
cannot predict the future, we certainly can try to shape it.
We hope you will join us in this endeavor.
Sincerely,
Gadi Baltiansky Andrea Diamond
Director-General Director of International Relations
Gadi@heskem.org.il Andrea@heskem.org.il
2
4. Geneva 25 Meetings
in Politics
1,089 Activists
Political
In 2011 we continued to deepen our relations
8 Parties
21
within the parliamentary arena through Knesset
ongoing activities with Knesset members from Members
across the political spectrum.
MK Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor), Brig. Gen. (res.) Ilan Paz, Minister MKs Zehava Galon (Meretz) and Nino Abesadze (Kadima) in
Yossi Peled (Likud), MKs Nachman Shai and Shlomo Mula a conference at the Knesset in collaboration with the Geneva
(Kadima) in a conference held in the Knesset in collaboration Initiative (July)
with the Geneva Initiative (July)
A two-state solution is an Israeli existential interest
Minister Yossi Peled, Likud, at a Geneva Initiative conference (July)
4 Part 1 >> Target groups
5. Shas
This year, we expanded our activities with the Shas party. We 6 Activities
have been working with cabinet ministers, members of Knesset
and activists in conjunction with Palestinian counterparts to
encourage them to promote the peace process. 98 Participants
Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas) Former Palestinian Minister for Prisoner Affairs, Ashraf
speaking at the Geneva Initiative 2.0 Conference held in el-Ajrami, meeting with senior political activists from Shas
Switzerland (November) (December)
I would sign the Geneva Accord with both hands…It’s worth it
for our country, our children, and for the peace we all want.
Deputy Speaker of the Knesset MK Yitzhak Vaknin,
Shas, Radio Interview, January 2012
Shas members meet Palestinian
officials
Minister Margi says seminar organized by Geneva Initiative
put things in ‘different proportions’
Part 1 >> Target groups 5
6. Kadima
This year we deepened our relationship with the Kadima party
by providing conferences, tours, and events at local Kadima 9 Activities
branches across the country.
490 Participants
No doubt that the Geneva
Initiative is an excellent
toolbox which can help the
leadership reach peace.
MK Doron Avital, Kadima, a
Geneva Initiative conference
Geneva Initiative conference at the Kadima branch in Rehovot. From left to right: in Rehovot (April)
former Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Dr. Sufiyan Abu-Zaida, journalist Avi Bloom,
MK Doron Avital (Kadima), Chairman of the Geneva Initiative, Dr. Yossi Beilin, and
former IDF Chief of Staff, Dan Halutz (April)
Labor
Graduates of the political course this year led the establishment of the political progress forum
in the spirit of the Geneva Initiative. The forum is recognized by the Labor party institutions. In
addition to this significant move, MKs and key political activists participated in seminars and
conferences held throughout the year.
MKs Nachman Shai (Kadima) and Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor) at a conference held
in the Knesset in collaboration with the Geneva Initiative (July)
6 Part 1 >> Target groups
7. Likud
Further to our ongoing cooperation with the Heads of 4 Activities
the Likud branches around the country, this year we held
seminars and tours designed to promote the Geneva
Initiative in the current ruling party. Activities were attended 150 Participants
by ministers, MKs, and local leaders of major branches.
We will share with
other Ministers
and MKs what we
learned from the
Geneva Initiative – it’s
important and very
useful.
Yishay Zandani, Chairman of
the Political Forum, Likud, Radio
Interview (January 2012)
Minister Yossi Peled (Likud) in a conference at the Knesset in
collaboration with the Geneva Initiative (July)
Part 1 >> Target groups 7
8. Local 10 Activities
Authorities
824 Participants
This year we continued our extensive activities with Israeli
26 Mayors
mayors. As part of the activities we held several seminars in
Israel and abroad including a seminar where mayors had the
opportunity to meet with their Palestinian counterparts and
discuss solutions to the peace process. In addition, we held
conferences across the country with numerous municipalities.
Seminar for mayors in Netanya. From left to right: Dr. Yechiel Lasri (Ashdod), Haim Avitan (Hadera),
Benny Vaknin (Ashkelon), and Dov Tzur (Rishon LeZion) (February)
I thought that peace was
impossible until I encountered
the Geneva Initiative.
Mayor of Ra’anana Nahum Hofri, at a Geneva
Initiative joint seminar (November)
Mayor of Ra’anana, Nahum Hofri, at an
Israeli-Palestinian joint seminar
(Turin, Italy, November)
8 Part 1 >> Target groups
9. Women 6 Activities
147 Participants
During 2011, we established the “Women’s thinking forum to
promote a peace agreement,” a continuation of the joint women’s
seminar. Dozens of leading women from prominent companies
and from the media on both sides met regularly in Tel Aviv and
Ramallah to discuss new ways to promote the peace process.
Women must take part in
the most crucial decisions
that affect their lives and
their futures.
Brig. Gen. (res) Israela
Oron, at a Geneva
Initiative seminar (March)
Participants on a tour in Ramallah for leading women (September)
Participants in the “Women’s thinking forum to promote a peace agreement” in a
meeting with Palestinian women in Ramallah (September)
Part 1 >> Target groups 9
10. Immigrant 15 Activities
Communities
824 Participants
622
Our activities this year continued to focus on immigrants from the former
Soviet Union and from the Ethiopian community. Activities included
conferences for the Russian-speaking public, meetings between senior
journalists from the Russian and Palestinian media, as well as seminars and
tours for senior activists from immigrant communities.
Ksenia Svetlove (Channel 9), Brig. Gen. (res.) Israela Oron, and former Author A. B. Yehoshua in a Geneva Initiative conference
Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Ashraf el-Ajrami, in a seminar held for the Russian-speaking community held in
for leaders of immigrant associations from the former Soviet Union (April) collaboration with MK Nino Abesadze (Kadima) in Tel
Aviv (May)
The continuation of the
occupation guarantees the
continuation of racism.
MK Shlomo Molla, Kadima,
at Geneva Initiative seminar
for the Ethiopian community
Geneva Initiative conference for the Russian community (May) (April)
10 Part 1 >> Target groups
11. The Next Generation 31 Activities
824
1,074 Participants
Thinking of tomorrow, the Geneva Initiative has continued
this year to turn to various groups of young leaders,
student leaders and young journalists. Outreach to this
group included work with political activists, student
associations, and parliamentary assistants.
The silent majority needs to wake up
and support the Geneva Initiative. If we
don’t do it, nobody will do it for us.
Vicki Idzinski, a leading youth activist in
the Russian-speaking community, at the
Geneva 2.0 Conference (November)
Tour for bloggers and social media activists in the area of Jerusalem
under the guidance of Col. (res) Shaul Arieli (April)
Part 1 >> Target groups 11
12. Geneva
International
As the international community continues to play a key role in helping Israeli and
Palestinians move forward in negotiations, the Geneva Initiative has been active in
many different international forums and conferences. We met with dozens of foreign
representatives from numerous countries and international organizations.
Participants in the Geneva Initiative conference 2.0 held in Switzerland (November)
Chairmen of the Israeli and Palestinian
Geneva Initiative, Yossi Beilin and Yasser
Abed Rabbo, with former representative
of the United Nations Terje Larsen (New
York, September) Former French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, speaking at a
Geneva Initiative conference (Tel Aviv, May)
12 Part 1 >> Target groups
13. 39 Activities
824
2,875 Participants
The Geneva Initiative is
today a consolidated,
detailed proposal,
compatible with
internationally accepted
parameters.
President of Switzerland
Micheline Calmy-Rey, at the
United Nations General Assembly
in New York (September)
Former President of Switzerland, Micheline Calmy-Rey, speaking
at the Geneva Initiative 2.0 Conference (November)
Taglit-Birthright participants from North America listening to a
lecture at the Geneva Initiative office in Tel Aviv (January)
Part 1 >> Target groups 13
14. Palestinian 13 Joint
Seminars
Partners
824 Participants
222
Together with our partners in Ramallah, we held several three-day joint
seminars with members of Knesset, mayors, political activists, journalists
and prominent women on both sides.
Mayor of Yeruham, Michael Biton, with former
Palestinian Minister, Qadoura Fares (seminar for mayors,
November)
Director General of the Geneva Initiative (Ramallah), Nidal Fuqaha, and
Talia Sasson, member of the Israeli Geneva Initiative steering committee, at
the “Women’s thinking forum to promote a peace agreement” in Ramallah
(September)
If there is one thing that I believe in all these years of
the political process, it is the Geneva Initiative.
Yasser Abed Rabbo, Secretary General of
the PLO Executive Committee (September)
14 Part 1 >> Target groups
16. Seminars 14 Seminars
824 Participants
508
This year our two-day seminars concentrated on studying the core
issues of the conflict and solutions as proposed by the Geneva
Initiative. All seminars included prominent speakers from across the
political spectrum, as well as senior Palestinian representatives.
Israeli and Palestinian parliamentary assistants at a Seminar for leading Shas activists. From left to right: MK David Azoulai (Shas),
joint seminar in Budapest, Hungary (September) Attorney David Glass, former Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Ashraf
el-Ajrami, and Brig. Gen. (res.) Shlomo Brom (December)
Seminar for mayors in Acre. From left to
right: Nahum Hofri, Mayor of Ra’anana,
Maj. Gen. (res.) Amram Mitzna, and
Shimon Lankri, Mayor of Acre (June)
16 Part 2 >> Activities
17. In the Media
April 25, 2011 // Yossi Beilin
Palestinians proposals for
splitting Jerusalem were not
far from Clinton and Geneva
plans, maps reveal
January 25, 2011 // Nir Hasson December 1, 2011 // Bernard-Henri Levy
Gadi Baltiansky, Director General of the Geneva Initiative Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator interviewing with
(Israel), interviewing with Channel 9 News at a Geneva Channel 2 News at a Geneva Initiative conference (May)
Initiative conference (February)
Part 2 >> Activities 17
18. Tours 20 Tours
824
771 Participants
To truly understand and illustrate the complexities of the conflict, this year the
Geneva Initiative continued to hold tours along the 67’ and Geneva lines under the
guidance of expert specialists with emphasis on the issues of borders, settlements
and Jerusalem. Among the participants were members of Likud and Shas, journalists
and others.
Tour for social media activists around the “seam line” in Jerusalem (April)
Brig. Gen. (res.) Ilan Paz giving a tour
for European Members of Parliament Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli in a tour for central Shas activists (December)
around Jerusalem (April)
18 Part 2 >> Activities
19. Lectures 39 Activities
824
2,702 Participants
This year, Geneva Initiative experts have continued to speak in many different forums
throughout Israel and the international community on the importance of the peace
process. Lectures have been held at such venues as the National Security College
in Israel, the J Street Conference in Washington, the British Parliament, and leading
universities and think tanks.
Gadi Baltiansky, Director General of the Geneva Initiative (Israel), gives a lecture at the TLV Internationals Salon (December)
Harvard students in a lecture at the Geneva Initiative office in Tel Aviv (March)
Part 2 >> Activities 19
20. Political Leadership 2 Cycles
Course
90 Participants
This year we continued to deepen and enrich the political knowledge
30 Meetings
of activists from major political parties (Shas, Likud, Kadima, Labor)
with emphasis on the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the
solutions offered by the Geneva Initiative.
Daniel Shek and Ilan Baruch, former Israeli ambassadors to France and and South Africa
(respectively), speaking at a lecture for the political leadership course (December)
Participants of the political leadership course on a MK Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas) speaks to the political
tour led by Col. (res.) Shaul Arieli in the West Bank leadership course in Tel Aviv (October)
(November)
20 Part 2 >> Activities
21. Conferences 10 Conferences
824
1,900 Participants
During 2011 we continued to bring issues to the forefront
of discussion in the public discourse. Our conferences bring
experts to discuss topics on current issues.
Former Palestinian Minister of Prisoner Affairs, Ashraf el-Ajrami, at a Geneva Initiative conference in Tel Aviv (October)
Chairman of the Geneva Initiative, Dr. Yossi Beilin, chief Palestinian negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, and former French Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Dr. Bernard Kouchner, at a Geneva Initiative conference (Tel Aviv, May)
Part 2 >> Activities 21
22. Social Media 5,778 Facebook
Friends
1,081 Twitter
Followers
We created a venue for interactive discussions
among the thousands of friends and followers
85,700 Views on
YouTube
on social networking sites and disseminated
our message and videos to thousands
A viral video with over 10,000 hits and 3,000 shares The Geneva Initiative Facebook page
The Geneva Initiative on Twitter
The Geneva Initiative YouTube Channel
22 Part 2 >> Activities
23. Websites 3 Websites
824
393,597 Views
During 2011 we continued to expand our
activities on our website in English, Hebrew,
Russian and Arabic.
The Geneva Initiative Hebrew website
The Geneva Initiative English website
The Geneva Initiative Russian website
Part 2 >> Activities 23
24. Israeli Public Support
for the Geneva Initiative
Support
Oppose
58%
52%
46% 46%
39% 39%
2009 2010 2011
*Poll conducted by the Truman Institute
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (December 2011)
ranshacked
The Geneva Initiative
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