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 Jerusalem Joint Think TankEven though finding a solution to the Jerusalem issue pertains to the political realm of the peace process and will have in the end to be decided upon by decision makers, IPCC believes that research should be conducted by stakeholders within the civil society in order to find a solution that will indeed settle the Jerusalem issue as conveniently as possible for all parties. This is why IPCC and JIIS (the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies) developed, with the kind support of the Olof Palme International center, a joint cooperation as early as 1997 to discuss the challenges facing Jerusalem and the solutions to be found to enhance quality of life in the city and facilitate peacemaking. In 1997, the joint initiative by the IPCC and the JIIS was the only joint forum with Palestinians and Israelis that was conducted over three years and cemented a long lasting cooperation between the institutions. This experience did not intend to introduce or launch a political negotiation framework but rather to contribute to developing a mutual understanding that supports planning for the future in the city shared by both Palestinians and Israelis. As a matter of fact, this project had various goals that designated specific guidelines to follow for the participants of this joint experience. The academics and professionals were to identify the mutual interests and areas of cooperation between Palestinian and Israelis in Jerusalem as well as draw strategic guidelines for specific issues in parallel to topics discussed within the groups. Also, they were supposed to suggest and prioritize pragmatic action oriented towards the implementation of joint projects during or prior to final status negotiations of the peace process. On the long term, this project was to promote peace, demonstrate the possibility for cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis as well as contribute to the amelioration of the quality of life in the Jerusalem area. In 1998, participants presented their findings at the Annual Conference of Bommersvik (Sweden) under the title "Current and Future Urban Problems of the Jerusalem Area". Eighteen papers that had been previously written by joint teams of Palestinians and Israelis were discussed during this conference and covered topics such as the economy of Jerusalem, the tourism in the city, the conservation of the architectural heritage, the action of Palestinian and Israeli civil societies as well as the social infrastructures and transportation in Jerusalem. In 1999 and 2000 however, the Palestinian and Israeli academics and professionals came to participate in a conference that had a lasting effect on the cooperation of all participants. It was titled "Jerusalem Area: Facing the Future and Creating a Vision". Indeed, the debate in 1999 witnessed a turning point from discussing the consequences of the conflict and its implications on Jerusalem's realities to actively analyzing its causes and trying to find practical solutions of mutual interest. As a result, the team could address very sensitive issues such as geopolitical borders of the city and exploring alternative frameworks for the urban future in Jerusalem. The overall goal at this point became to create a vision for the next 15 to 20 years regarding Jerusalem. The Bommersvik conferences contributed to the whole cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis and had an undeniable impact on the parties. The academic process by which a forum for joint policy and applied research on the Jerusalem region for urban issues was established and helped the creation a cohesive group of Israeli and Palestinian academics who work together. Naturally, the exposure to the Swedish experience contributed a lot to the repertoire of options for city management and civil society’s involvement. Understanding the dynamics of Jerusalem and how to make it a world city of peace required that Palestinians and Israelis come together in a spirit of difference-bridging as well as openness. Thus, the academics were able to develop skills to deal with the complex issues of life in the Jerusalem area as well as a method to work synergistically in spite of obvious tensions between parties. Efforts of both institutions in dealing with the issue of Jerusalem through conducting in-depth exploration of its realities, and awareness of its survival dynamics has qualified IPCC and JIIS to provide well thought insights on the future of the city. IPCC and JIIS, as equally footed partners, have managed to gradually initiate a cumulative positive process that stresses the possibility of transforming strictly political demands into mutually accepted realities that have to be dealt with through confidence building and connecting mutual interests |
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