Policy Papers and Reports
/ The Israeli-Palestinian Peace Process
The recent report of the Middle East Quartet, published in July 2016, recommends that Israelis and Palestinians “foster a climate of tolerance, including through increasing interaction and cooperation in a variety of fields – economic, professional, educational, cultural – that strengthen the foundations for peace”. The Mitvim Institute’s policy workshop examined whether and how this recommendation can be effectively implemented under the current political conditions. It addressed critical questions over how Israeli-Palestinian civil society cooperation, in the absence of political leadership, can take place and strengthen the foundations for conflict resolution instead of reinforcing a destructive status quo. The workshop was attended by local and international experts and diplomats, and featured opening remarks by Amb. Jon Hanssen-Bauer, Ambassador of Norway to Israel and former Director of the Israeli-Palestinian People-to-People Program, Dr. Ned Lazarus, Scholar and Evaluator of Israeli-Palestinian Civil Society Programs at George Washington University, USA, and Elias Zananiri, Vice-Chairman of the PLO Committee for Interaction with the Israeli Society. This document summarizes the different points and recommendations that were raised during the workshop.
