News from Israel/Palestine

Dear friends and supporters,

We have some exciting news to report!

IPCRI has undergone a transition over the past two years including more on-the-ground, peace building and public outreach work. We are excited to announce that as part of our transition, our new name will be “Israel-Palestine: Creative Regional Initiatives” (IPCRI). Our new website will be up sooner than you think, so stay tuned!

We would like to take a moment to thank all of our donors and partners for their relentless support of IPCRI. Their help has been incredibly important for us, especially as we have decided to adopt new concepts and directions. We are eagerly preparing for high-impact projects in 2014. On the Palestinian side, we are focusing on developing the Palestinian private sector, which will bring significant changes for average citizens. And on the Israeli side, we developed a large-scale campaign called “The Cultural Reconciliation Initiative,” which aims to produce a significant shift in public support towards a peaceful solution by targeting the public at large.

On the political front, negotiations are still uncertain. There are feelings of both skepticism and hope, but we take both parties’ adherence to Kerry’s insistence on secrecy as a good sign. There are positive steps being taking place, such as the release of 26 pre-Oslo Palestinian prisoners, as well as negative steps, like Israel’s announcement to build 1,500 residential units in settlements across the West Bank. We hope that the intensified talks will bring good news in the future.Our directors have been busy advocating our peace building efforts. Last month, Riman was in the US and was speaking to various audiences emphasizing the need to break down the psychological and physical walls. Please watch and see one of her contributions. Please also read Dan’s article on the importance of freedom of movement for all inhabitants in order for any solution to work titled It’s Time to Think Creatively About Getting Settlers on the Side of Peace

Shalom Aleinu, Salaam Aleina, peace be upon us.
Dan, Riman and the IPCRI Team

P.S. Have you liked us on Facebook already? There we share news and analysis about the conflict and our events on a daily basis. Like us now

Support Our Work for Peace

Project update – Women Leadership: Rising in Voices in Conflict Resolution
In October 10-12, 20 Israeli and Palestinian, professional women participated in a bi-national retreat in Haifa. They delved into women’s issues as well as topics related to the conflict. It is key that young Palestinian and Israeli women are given the tools to participate in political life, and to use their agency for change. We welcome co-funding support for the next phase of the project, which has up till now been support by the German Government through the Zivik program.

Stay updated on our events and projects

“Wall of Hope” and “Peace Garden”

Sponsored by USAID, Partners for Change community projects address current problems in the Israeli society in the eyes of teens. Two bi-national community events took place this month in Kafr Qasim and Kfar Ha Yarok. A mosaic wall created by Jewish and Arab/Palestinian youth represents the aspirations and desirable interaction between Arabs and Jews in Israel. The planting and inaugurating of a Peace Garden signifies the project participants’ feelings of genuine cultural respect and the hope for new beginnings.

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Read Article in Arabic

“Hand in Hand Against Racism and Violence in the Courts”

On October 10th, 100 youths ages 15-17 from various school football teams in Tel Aviv and Jaffa participated in a football peace tournament that aimed to address the escalating violence and racism in football stadiums around Israel. The full-day competition started with speeches from prominent educational and political figures in Tel Aviv-Jaffa and music played by the students. This competition was developed by the Partners for Change bi-national group from Ironi Tet school in Tel Aviv and Ajial school in Jaffa. The luck fell with the organizers since Ajial Football team won the competition.

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Teens “Passing it On” to ninth gradersThe Partners for Change community project “Pass it on” an educative and fun day designed by 22 students from Ironi Alef Jewish school in Tel Aviv and Ironi Yud Bet Palestinian school in Jaffa, occurred on October 8th.120 ninth graders from two primary schools, one Jewish and one Palestinian, enjoyed a day of challenging sport workshops and leadership games with the aim of cultural recognition, coexistence and simply getting to know each other. “Pass it on” concluded with a multi-cultural play.

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We are against normalization.
We are for ending the occupation and a just and sustainable resolution of the conflict