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