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 Joint Civil Society ForumIn May 2002 IPCC and the Peres Center for Peace organized the first meeting of a Palestinian-Israeli civil society forum in Como, Italy. A group of leading civil society leaders developed a joint mission to deliver a relevant and responsible message of peace and dialogue . An action phase is currently being organized that delivers an integrative peace message from within the Israeli and Palestinian societies to their respective publics. The message will be disseminated through public diplomacy and advocacy as well as a civic campaign. It will articulate the grave political, social and economical situation of both sides and will address the complex reality of the crisis and the fears and dilemmas of the people. During the three day kick-off conference in Como, Palestinian and Israeli Civil Society activists sought to generate new ideas on conflict resolution and their future relations. The group identified the pros and cons of the Oslo agreement, and sought methods to enhance and improve the current political situation. The opening session focused on the role of civil society in the political conflict. In this session participants arrived at several conclusions. First, that the changes in the political situation after 1994 and after the Oslo agreement have affected the role of civil society in Palestine, giving it a less political form. Second, the main goal of civil society groups should be to influence public opinion in order to affect the policy of the government. It is important to understand that Israeli behavior is influenced by three factors; the fear of bombings, suspicions about what Palestinians really want and an ignorance about Palestinians, which leads to racism. The closing session focused on identifying causes and implications of the current crisis. Palestinian participants concluded that any vision of peace should not be predicated on the formation of a mini state but rather a full sovereign state, existing side by side with the Israeli state and based on the 1967 borders. |
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