Middle East Committee October 5th, 2004 | November 01, 2004

Recommendations offered in response to some key problems raised.

By Hod Ben Zvi, Secretary General IIFWP, Israel, Tal Zorer and Frank Kaufmann.

The distinguished participants from several Middle Eastern countries have engaged in a serious discussion regarding the major problems and obstacles to the attainment of peace between Palestine and Israel.

Here are some of the points raised:
1. Lack of courageous leaders from both sides who can broker peace.
2. Absence of education towards universal moral values.
3. Lack of economical incentives for peace initiatives.
4. Negative influence of religious extremism over politics.
5. Scarce opportunities for both sides to come to know one another.
6. The unbalanced representation of women in the peace process.

Since the Israeli - Palestinian conflict is not a mere political dispute over territory, we must consider a broad spectrum of issues involved. Here are some ideas and recommendations, which their implementation can progress the peace process and eventually bring to a lasting and fruitful relationship between these two nations.

1. Create special leadership training seminars and schools to prepare future leaders. Leaders will receive all manner of skills and necessary knowledge for their respective fields. Crucial, however, is that this training will impart the basic mind-frame of a courageous peace leader, drawing from the great peace-makers in political history, and focusing on the principles which build and maintain a genuine culture of peace. Young people who will become future leaders will be equipped with skills for true dialogue and bridge building, considering all factors in their future domestic and international relations.

2. Establish programs, institutes, and curricula oriented toward universal moral values. These are for both Israeli and Palestinian schools, universities and other educational institutions. The universal values curriculum can be adjusted to accommodate the cultural needs of each society. Young people should learn how to solve conflicts without resorting to violence as a solution.

3. Establish systems that encourage peace making through economic incentives to industries that bring about and support cooperation among Palestinians and Israelis, e.g. international import tax exemption for products created by such joint ventures, and so on. These incentives can also be given as grants to organizations that work in cooperation with Israelis and Palestinians, and thus promote a culture of peace.

4. Create support systems for religious leaders who seek peace through interreligious harmony, as well as support systems that will enable these religious leaders to work with political leaders enabling both communities to find a common ground in peace making.

5. Maintain a multilevel dialogue on all the issues related to forging a culture of peace. This can be done by forming professional committees dealing with specific areas such as Holy Sites, water crisis, environmental preservation etc. Membership of these committees should be composed of equal number of Israeli and Palestinian participants, and should convene regularly and periodically.

6. Women should be fully represented in all peace activities, both governmental and non governmental, including in the active negotiations on all levels. Women will greatly contribute utilizing special insights and unique abilities to the many aspects of peace making.

This session was part of the:
International Leadership Convocation
Leadership and Good Governance for the Gobal Family:
Establishing a World Culture of Heart and Lasting Peace
Seoul, Korea, October 2 - 5, 2004