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An outline of the roles and tasks I carried out as a project manager intern with Israel's leading peacebuidling NGO, the Peres Center for Peace (2011-2012)
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The Peres Center For PeaceAn Internship in the
Business and Economics DepartmentSeptember – December, 2012
“People build peace, not just governments”
• Founded in 1996 by Shimon Peres• Established at the height of the Israeli-Palestinian peace optimism• To pursue his vision of a ‘New Middle East’ • Has it’s mission statement evolved in light of fluctuating peace context? (Goal
Displacement)• “Israel’s leading non-profit org. promoting peace-building Israel and its Arab
neighbours”• Peace-building with whom?
• Regional Neighbours (i.e. Egypt and Jordan)• Palestinians• Arab-Israelis
• Main Goals of Projects:• Socio-economic cooperation• People-to-people interaction• Empower people to engage actively in peace-building
• Location in Jaffa
History of the Peres Center
Peres Center: Building Peaceor maintaining Status Quo?
There is no evident effort being made to change the political and socioeconomic status quo in the occupied territories, but just the
opposite: Efforts are being made to train the Palestinian population to accept its inferiority…
With patronizing colonialism, the center presents an olive grower who is discovering the advantages of cooperative marketing; a […] and of course
soccer competitions and joint orchestras of Israelis and Palestinians, which paint a false picture of coexistence.
There is no chance that the activists and administrators of the peace center will participate in the daily struggle of the Palestinian olive pickers; in the
frustrating efforts to transport critically ill people via the checkpoints; or to breach the economic siege and sea blockade of Gaza.
The Peres Center for Peace […] does not warn about Israel's responsibility for this situation; after all, it is not a club of Israel-hating anarchists but
one of respectable people, who mostly contribute to peace in the generous funding of glittering events and participation in them…
Meron Benvenisti, “A monument to a lost time and lost hopes”, Haaretz, 30/10/2008
Organisational Structure
Departments• Agriculture, Water and Environment• Business and Economics• Civil Leadership• Culture, Media and Arts• Health (“Medicine in the Service of Peace”)• Sport• Youth Dialogue through Technology• Community Programmes in Jaffa
Director of Peres Center
Department Director Department Director: Department Director
Project Manager Project Manager Project Manager
InternIntern
Business and Environment
Business and Economics Department
Business-to-Business & Market Entry Capacity Building
Economic Research
Coordinator and Publisherof Research Work
Gaza Strip Crossings: Israeli Policies in a Broader Perspective
The Peace Process: Seventeen Plans in Ten Years
Recent and Ongoing Projects
• Aix Group Research– The September Process from a Regional-Economic Perspective– The Arab Peace Initiative and Israeli-Palestinian Peace: The Political Economy of a New Era
• Capacity Building and Market Entry Events– Private Sector Partnership– Partners in Business, Partners in Peace
• Urban Development– Barta’a: A unique urban planning rehabilitation project
• Business Coaching– Training of Trainers: A Business Course for Entrepreneurs
• Tourism– One Holy Land, Two Peoples: Tourism without Borders
• Business Directory– 2012 Palestinian Business Directory
Aix Group
An Israeli-Palestinian-international economic study team.
Aims:
• Inform policy makers of the economic costs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict
•Provide policy makers with economic solutions towards a two-state solution.
•Detail how both sides stand to benefit by improving economic cooperation.
My Involvement:
• Steering Committee Meetings in Ramallah and East Jerusalem
• Wikipedia entry
• New Website
• Cataloguing Aix Group’s mentions in the media
The September Process from a Regional-Economic Perspective
Main Points:• UN Move: An opportunity to break
the deadlock• Three Scenarios:
1. Possibility for economic development
2. Unsustainability of the Status Quo3. Worst-Case Scenario
My Involvement:• Editing of paper• Attending presentation of findings
to the World Bank• Drafting possible op-ed articles
New Aix Group Publication: The Arab Peace Initiative and Israeli-Palestinian Peace
Main Points:• Envisioning a ‘New Middle
East’, post-conflict• Four Research Areas
1. Regional Trade2. Investment and Labour
Institutions3. Cooperation in
Transportation, Environment and Energy Infrastructure
4. Palestinian Refugees
My Involvement:
•Translating ‘Foreword’
•Attending Steering Committee meetings in East Jerusalem and Ramallah (taking minutes)
•Designing evaluation form post-conference
• Rewriting Palestinian Refugee article
• Summarising conference discussion
Capacity Building andBusiness-to-Business (B2B) Projects
Private Sector PartnershipPromoting Palestinian-Israeli
Economic Cooperation
Funders: Norwegian EmbassyBudget: ca. 1,2 million NISDuration: 12 monthsKey Elements:• Business-to-Business Program• Capacity Building Workshops• Exhibition of Palestinian
Businesses/Products at Israeli Trade Shows
Partners in Business, Partners in Peace
Increasing Capacities for Israeli-Palestinian Business Cooperation
Funders: European UnionBudget: ca. 2.3 million NISDuration: 24 monthsKey Elements:1. Needs Assessment Study2. Capacity Building Training
Courses3. Market Entry B2B Program4. Market Entry Public Relations
Campaign
Projects in partnership with:
Capacity Building andBusiness-to-Business (B2B) Projects
My Involvement:• Attending meetings with donors (Norwegian Embassy and EU representatives)• Redesigning log frame matrix• Discussing budgetary issues• Planning work schedule• Attending preliminary workshop (handicrafts)• Needs Assessment: Draft copy of ‘Terms of Reference’
Objective Tree: Partners in Business…
Improved EconomicRelations
Strengthened Capacities
Improved Market Entry
Greater Awareness of Palestinian
Products in Israel
Understanding of Palestinian
business needs
A newly Improved
Palestinian product ranges
Stronger Palestinian businesses
with updated skills
Needs Assessment
Report &Israeli Market
Survey
Capacity Building Courses
Successful completion of market entry
events
B2B Meetings
Exhibitions & Trade Fairs
Successfully Conducted PR
Campaign
Associated activities
Overall Objective
Specific Objectives
Results/Outputs
Activities
Palestinian Business Directory
Goals:“Encourage trade and improve relations
between the two sides [and to] improve accessibility of Palestinian
Businesses to their Israeli and international partners”
My Involvement:• Meeting with partners (principally
IPCC) to discuss content and design• Editing ‘Introduction’• Extensive proof-reading• Working with publishers during final
editing
Tourism Without Borders
One Holy Land, Two Peoples: Tourism without Borders
• An “impartial” tourism portal/map• Challenge the presentation of
Jerusalem as “unilateral city” with tourists “experiencing only the Israeli or Palestinian perspectives and attractions” ideally present tourists with a “more whole experience”
My Involvement:
• Attending meeting with designers and local tourism specialists.
• Coordinating meetings
• Suggesting content
Urban Development Project of Barta’a
A Divided Village between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority:
“The conceptual idea is to transform the valley from a
symbol of conflict and cooperation to a common
space representing environmental sustainability,
business cooperation, and peace”
My Involvement
• Meeting with partners M.A.P. to discuss urban development
• Adding elements to conceptual plan
• Visit to Barta’a with possible donor
Other Activities
50 Reasons to say “Yes” to a
Palestinian State (Palestinian Israeli Peace NGO Forum)
Managed the @perescenter
Twitter account
General administrative
tasks
General learning
about Israel, Palestine and
the conflict
Importance of Networking
Political Barriers to Cooperation?
Anti-Normalization MovementAnti-Israeli Sentiment in Region
Anti-NGO Legislation Facts on the Ground
Israeli-Palestinian Peace andIsraeli Public Opinion
10%
22%
31%
35%
2%
Strongly Believe
Somewhat Believe
Somewhat Disbelieve
Strongly Disbelieve
Don't Know/Refuse toAnswer
To what extent do you believe that negotiations between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority will lead to peace between Israel and the Palestinians in
the coming years?*
Israeli public opinion support to the Oslo process 1994-2010*
* Data from The Israel Democracy Institute, 2011
Case Study:Peres Center Projects in Jordan
•Anti-normalization sentiment is strong
• Very hard to find partners and projects (especially if cooperation becomes public)
• Unofficially they would like to cooperate
• Focus on universal, day-to-day concerns such as environment, water management, energy etc. (under the radar, avoid politics)
• Explore cooperation through universities and research institutes, particularly under the guise of EU initiatives.
•Hard to publicize programmes as Peres Center programmes
Internship Experience
Positives:
+ Learnt about Israel, Palestine and conflict.+ The Arab side of Israel+ East Jerusalem to Ramallah
+ Met with many different actors+ Local NGOs, International donors, academics,
Palestinian partners+ Working relationship with colleagues
+ Felt part of the team and that my work was appreciated and valuable
+ Valuable source of knowledge+ Used skills from Glocal
+ e.g. Log Frame, budgets+ Gained an understanding how a large
professional NGO works+ Found my level in ‘development’ work
+ ‘Project Management’ as a skill?
Negatives:
Was it true development work? Chopping and changing between projects
No ownership of a single project Lack of actual field work
Department was between projects Disconnect between the office and reality…?
(Development from afar/armchair development) Travelling between Jerusalem and Jaffa Language Issues
The Peres Center as an NGO: Style over substance?
Legitimate questioning of project’s effectiveness
Is the Peres Center helping (inadvertently) maintain the status quo?
Apolitical NGO? See points in rasied in “A monument to
lost time and lost hopes” article
Theoretical ApproachPoster Project:• Detailed description and analysis of ‘Partners in Business…’ project
Final Paper:Overarching theme = Conflict Resolution and/or Management through cooperation in
economic, business, or trade. • What’s the Angle?
– How does an NGO from the ‘occupiers’ cooperate with those who are the ‘occupied’? Should this be left to an INGO?
– Is economic and business cooperation more relevant post-conflict or can it be a driver of peace? What do other conflicts tell us?
• Which Region?– Focus solely on Israel/Palestine?– Or branch out to other conflict areas?
The End