2. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
Dear friends,
This newsletter includes briefings of our
activities during the first half of year 2011.
The PPC’s activities aim to influence
decision-makers, opinion leaders and the
wide audience in Palestine as well as the
international key stake-holders towards
reaching a comprehensive and a just solution
for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The
solution that we seek is a two-state solution
«Stressing the Importance of Media’s
here the two nations are guaranteed to live
side by side in peace. Role in the Arab Political Movement ».
We are working on achieving this goal
through the expansion of international The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC) hosted a
support of reaching a peaceful agreement and political seminar on March 23rd, 2011, in Ramallah.
settlement for the conflict – a settlement that During the seminar, the participants emphasized
is in agreement with the UN resolutions. the significance of the media’s role and impact on
the uprisings and mass protests taking place in the
Based on our belief that the Palestinian Arab World. The participants discussed the role
reconciliation is vital for any further progress of the new media, e.g. Facebook and Twitter, and
in the Peace Process, we have created a their widespread usage among youth groups and
platform for debaters from all political movements, and the effect they have on the success
parties, civil community bodies, syndicates of such movements.
and various social movements in order to
achieve Palestinian reconciliation.
Thanks to the generous support of our
partners we will be able to work for
achieving our goals of promoting a culture
of peace, dialogue and non-violence within
the Palestinian society.
Sincerely,
The Palestinian Peace Coalition
Geneva Initiative
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3. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
«The Arab World’s Changes and their Effect on the Palestinians»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted
a conference in Gaza City, on April 20th, 2011.
The subject of the conference dealt with the recent
changes in the Arab world and their potential effect
on the Palestinian territory.
«The Reconciliation and the
Prisoners»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition hosted a
political seminar in cooperation with Tubas
municipality, on May 15th, 2011. The seminar
focused on the Palestinian Reconciliation and
its impact on Palestinian prisoners.
«The Palestinian Youth and Reconciliation»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition hosted a conference in Gaza, On May, 23rd, 2011. The conference’s main
topic was the role of youth in making reconciliation possible. The participants called for creating the
appropriate environment for ending the division and for establishing reconciliation.
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4. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
»The Situation in the Jordan Valley “Al Aghwar”
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) organized a political meeting at the local council’s hall in E’in
Al-Bayda, Tubas, Northern Valleys. The meeting was held in cooperation with the Palestinian Prisoners
Club on the 44th anniversary of 1967 occupation of the Palestinian Territory. The meeting highlighted the
importance of the Jordan Valley for the future of the Palestinian state.
« No to split, yes to reconciliation»
On March 15th, Palestinian Peace Coalition
(PPC-GI) launched the initiative of «No to split,
yes to reconciliation» in Ramallah. The initiative
came as part of a campaign by Palestinian youth
that called for ending the split.
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5. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
«Emphasizing the Role of Youth in the Political Process»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted a seminar
on “Emphasizing the Role of Youth in the Political Process”.
The activity took place on April 23rd, in Ramallah city. The
seminar discussed the current developments in the Arab World
and in Palestine. The seminar concluded with the participants’
call to unifying the efforts towards achieving unity and ending
the division. They stressed the need for cultivating various
efforts in order to develop youth participation in creating and
advancing change.
«Role of New Media in Setting Political Agenda»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted a workshop on May 11th, 2011 in Bethlehem. The workshop
was organized in cooperation with the Palestinian Bible Society in Bethlehem. During the workshop, the
participants stressed the importance of the media in shaping public opinion and setting political agenda.
«Non-violence and Peaceful
Resistance»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI)
convened a workshop titled «Non-violence
and Peaceful Resistance» on March, 13th,
2011 in Ramallah. The participants stressed
the importance of having a united body for
non-violent resistance in view of the preferred
examples of Ni’lin and Bil’in that resist the
Israeli occupation through use of peaceful and
non-violent means.
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6. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
Palestinian Youth calls for an active role
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted a
workshop of «Youth Debate» in Gaza city on April
9th, 2011. The workshop was attended by a large
number of young men and women. The event was
held in coordination with Olof Palme International
Institute (OPIC) and aimed to empower youth and
increase their political participation. They called
for more activities, youth initiatives, workshops and
debate sessions among youth groups.
«The Role of Youth in Making
Change»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted a
workshop on «Youth’s Role in Creating Change” in
Hebron, on April, 12th, 2011. A group of youth activists
attended the workshop. The participants stressed the
importance of promoting the role of youth in decision-
making within their own societies and communities.
«Young Leaders Call for Protecting «The Media and its Role in making
the end of split Agreement” change… Recent Changes in the
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI), in corporation
Arab World and their Reflection on
with Olof Palme International Institute (OPIC), organized
a political seminar in Gaza titled «The Role of Youth
the Palestinian Issue»
Movements and frameworks after the Reconciliation
Agreement». The workshop came as part of the continuous The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI)
effort to promote the youth political participation, as well convened a seminar for a group of media specialists
as empowerment of women. in Bethlehem, on April, 28th, 2011. The seminar
focused on the role the media plays in shaping the
public opinion and setting political agenda. The
participants emphasized the role of new media and
social networks, including Facebook and Twitter,
in building the bridges of communication and in
rapidly spreading information, an issue which can
be used in promoting peace.
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7. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
«The Palestinian Statehood Bid at the UN»
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) convened a workshop on June 9th, 2011 in Gaza. The workshop
was organized in cooperation with the Olof Palme International Institute. The participants discussed the
September bid for statehood and the expected difficulties and obstacles ahead.
Impact of the Arab Spring on Palestine
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) organized a workshop on the impact of the Arab Spring on Palestine ,on
June 13th, 2011. The workshop took place at the
Children’s House in Hebron. The participants
focused mainly on the peaceful means used by the
Arab youth to achieve their objectives of freedom,
considering such means as the optimal nowadays,
as also proven by Bil’in example of non-violent
resistance. Further, the participants discussed
the recent changes in the Arab World specifically
highlighting the role of youth in actually making
these changes.
During the first half of 2011, more than 140 news articles were published on
the PPC’s activities. Such articles were published on
the newspapers pages, internet media outlets and TV.
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8. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
Joint Seminars
Joint Workshop for Russian Speaking Israeli Position-holders and Journalists
and their Palestinian Counterparts
On February 10, the Geneva Initiative hosted a joint Israeli-Palestinian
workshop for Russian speaking Israeli position-holders and journalists and
their Palestinian counterparts.
The Israeli-Palestinian dialogue workshop, entitled «Talking Peace,»
was held at the Ambassador Hotel in Jerusalem. The day opened with
a discussion on «The Political Context.» After lunch, David Edelman
facilitated a working group session on «Israel and the Palestinians: Decision
Time. Prospects and Perils of the Peace Process.»
Seminar in Rome for Leading Palestinian and Israeli Women
March 2-5, 2011
The Geneva Initiative hosted a seminar in Rome for leading Palestinian
and Israeli women in cooperation with the Italian Center for Middle East
Peace (CIPMO).
The event, which brought together leading Palestinian and Israeli woman
for four days of discussions, opened with remarks by a representative
of the Province of Rome and of the Analysis and Planning Unit of the
Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Nidal Foqaha and Gadi Baltiansky,
Directors General of the Geneva Initiative in Ramallah and Tel Aviv
respectively, also spoke during the opening session which was chaired
by Janiki Cingoli, Director of the Italian Center for Peace in the Middle
East (CIPMO).
GI Seminar on Water and Environment at The Hague
On March 1st and 2nd, 2011, the Geneva Initiative hosted a joint Palestinian-Israeli seminar in the Hague to discuss
water and environment issues.
The meeting was the second of a series of three seminars that the Geneva Initiative was holding this year in The
Hague with the support of the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs. The events are designed to present our work on
the Annexes to the Geneva Accord to – as well as to solicit feedback, if any, from experts in the field (both Dutch
and European). The Netherlands Institute of International Relations (the Clingendael Institute) hosted the seminar.
On the Israeli side, participants included Prof. Hillel Shuval (expert on water) and Prof. Alon Tal (expert on the
environment). On the Palestinian side, participants included Dr. Abdelrahman Tamimi (expert on water), and Dr.
Mohamed Saeed Humaidi (expert on the environment).
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9. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) Hosts Meretz USA in Ramallah.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) organized a one day visit to
Ramallah for a delegation of Meretz USA board members and activists. The
delegation met with PLO Executive Committee Secretary General, Yasser
Abed Rabbo at the Palestinian Media Center. Mr. Abed Rabbo briefed the
delegation on the current status regarding the Israeli Palestinian conflict.
Additionally, the visit included meetings General Director of Palestinian
Democracy Forum, Sam’an Khoury, Fatah Central Committee Member
Nabil Sha’at and GI Director-General, Nidal Fuqaha.
Geneva Initiative Addresses the Role of the International Community on the
nd
Road to September
Sunday, May 22 , Geneva Initiative’s Palestinian and
Israeli co-heads addressed a conference hosted by the
Global Strategy Forum in London. The conference, held
at the House of Lords in London, addressed the topic,
«Looking to September: What Role Can the International
Community play in the Middle East Peace Process?»
The Geneva Initiative held a presentation entitled «Getting
Yes to an Agreement: Next Steps.» Speakers included
Nidal Foqaha, Director-General, The Palestinian Peace
Coalition – The Geneva Initiative (Ramallah); Gadi Baltiansky, Director-General, HL Education for Peace – The
Geneva Initiative (Tel Aviv); Israela Oron, Retired Brigadier General in the IDF and former Deputy National Security
Advisor, and member of the Geneva Initiative; and Nazmi Jubeh, an expert in Jerusalem affairs.
Geneva Initiative Meets with Hungarian Foreign
Ministry Official in Budapest
July 27, 2011
Geneva Initiative representatives –Palestinian and Israeli - met in Budapest
with a senior Hungarian Foreign Ministry official who expressed support for
the initiative and its activities: «We believe that this is not just important as a
political initiative, but also as a mechanism for continuing to create dialogue
between Israelis and Palestinians. We appreciate the initiative and strengthen its hands in promoting messages of
peace on both sides.» Former ministers, former senior military officers, and academics participated in the meeting.
Senior Geneva Initiative figures presented the Foreign Ministry officials with the appendices to the Geneva Accord.
Additionally, the initiative’s work has been presented both locally and internationally.
Leading Palestinian and Israeli Journalists
Meet in Istanbul
On August 12 to 14, the Palestinian Peace Coalition-Geneva
Initiative, hosted a joint seminar of 15 leading Palestinian and
Israeli journalists in Istanbul.. Among the attendants were
representatives from, Al Hayat Al Jadida, Al Ayyam, Ma’an News,
AP on the Palestinian side and Channel 10, Channel 2, Yediot
Aharonot, Ha’aretz, Walla News and Israel Hayom on the Israeli
side. For three days, participants debated media coverage of the conflict on both sides, as well as their thoughts on
reporting from the United Nations General Assembly in September.
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10. PALESTINAN PEACE COALITION
GENEVA INITIAVE
Geneva Initiative-ACPP Joint Project
Raising the Palestinian and Israeli Populations’ Awareness on the Environmental Cost
of the Absence of Peace, and Promoting a Sustainable Solution in the Framework of the
Arab Peace Initiative
September 2010-June 2011
Project Launching
Joint Seminar, Bethlehem, October 7-8, 2010
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) hosted a joint Palestinian-Israeli Experts seminar in Bethlehem
where more than 30 participants attended the meeting from both sides. Additionally, representatives of the
international communities from Spain, Switzerland and Norway attended the event as well. During the
two-day seminar, the participants discussed the water and environmental situation in the region and ways
to safeguard and protect these two sectors.
Joint Seminar, Jericho, June 13th, 2011
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) organized a joint seminar to discuss Water and Environment
issues. The seminar was held in Jericho and had 22 participants to talk about the current situation on
water and environment at the regional and international level. The participants reviewed the progress and
the activities of the program during the last several months and discussed the two sectoral action plans
document on water and environment developed by the project.
Municipal Training programs:
The Palestinian Peace Coalition (PPC-GI) in cooperation with (ACPP), organized a series of training
programs and seminars for municipalities and local
councils in the West Bank. The program included
six seminars which where attended by participants
from different cities and villages in the West Bank.
Water and Environment experts gave lectures
and presentations on local government, water and
environment as well as several municipal issues
took place in the training program.
The beneficiaries of this program counted more
than 180 municipalities personal from the city of
Jericho, the Jordan valley and the upper Jordan
Valley areas, the city of Nablus, Tubas, Qalqilia,
Ramallah, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, Hebron and the
surrounding areas.
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