Dialogue in Times of Tension: LibMod brings Israelis and Pales­tinians together

On 10 and 11 November, the Middle East Network of the Centre for Liberal Modernity organized two polit­i­cally signif­icant events in Israel and the Pales­tinian terri­tories of the West Bank, creating space for open dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.

Despite the tense situation on the ground and the opposition of the Pales­tinian Authority, more than 100 Pales­tinians and Israelis came together near Jericho in the Pales­tinian terri­tories to strengthen local-level efforts toward recon­cil­i­ation. The event in Jericho was organized jointly with the “Alliance for Two States,” also known as the Olmert/Al-Kidwa Initiative. Against the backdrop of the deep trauma in both societies, this gathering was far from a given: Israeli society remains deeply shaken by the brutal terrorist attack of 7 October, while Pales­tinians are trauma­tized by the two-year Gaza war, which left thousands dead or injured and resulted in the near-total destruction of Gaza. For this reason, the dialogue event was remarkable and quite excep­tional – as noted by all participants.

Ehud Olmert, former Prime Minister of Israel, took part in the event in person. Together with his Pales­tinian partner Nasser Al-Kidwa, former Foreign Minister and long-standing PA repre­sen­tative to the United Nations, Olmert advocates for the revival of dialogue and the impor­tance of a two-state solution.

The German Federal Foreign Office was repre­sented by Anke Schlimm, Head of the Repre­sen­tative Office in Ramallah. Other prominent partic­i­pants included Gershon Baskin (Middle East mediator), Jeremy Issacharoff, former Israeli Ambas­sador to Germany, and Eyal Waldman (founder of Mellanox Technologies). Waldman is a highly respected high-tech entre­preneur whose daughter was killed during the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel at the Nova Music Festival. On the Pales­tinian side, partic­i­pants included Samer Sinijlawi (Alliance for Two States) as well as a repre­sen­tative of the Chamber of Commerce in Gaza, who joined via Zoom. Despite the difficult circum­stances and diverging views, the atmos­phere remained remarkably friendly and respectful.

On 11 November, around 30 inter­na­tional students of conflict resolution came together to discuss possible pathways out of the Israeli-Pales­tinian conflict, the prospects of the Trump Plan, and the potential for Saudi-Israeli normal­ization. The event was organized jointly with Tel Aviv University and brought together high-level speakers from Israeli, Pales­tinian, and Saudi backgrounds: Abdulaziz Alkhamis, Saudi columnist and Middle East expert; Lianne Pollak-David, co-founder of the Israeli Coalition for Regional Security and the “Abraham Shield” initiative; Samer Sinijlawi; and political scientist Prof. Udi Sommer.

Both gatherings were important, even though partic­i­pants held widely differing views – some optimistic, others far more pessimistic regarding the prospects of the Trump Plan, and even more so regarding a two-state solution. This coexis­tence of diverging opinions reflects the complex reality on the ground. A major benefit of the meetings was the face-to-face inter­action, with many Pales­tinian partic­i­pants meeting Israelis for the first time, and vice versa. Pales­tinians openly shared their frustra­tions and hopes, while Israelis voiced doubts about the sincerity of a peaceful Pales­tinian push for self-deter­mi­nation. One thing was clear to both sides: both societies remain far from a two-state solution. Never­theless, partic­i­pants agreed that peace is not made by govern­ments alone, but above all by the people living in the region. All expressed strong support for continuing such direct dialogue on the ground.

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Note: Newsletter & Podcast
For further background and analysis on devel­op­ments in the Middle East, we recommend Marc Schulman’s newsletter and podcast. In addition to a conver­sation with Kerstin Müller on the situation on the ground, both formats also report on the events described above and provide further context and commentary.