{"id":75829,"date":"2025-11-13T16:57:44","date_gmt":"2025-11-13T15:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/dialog-in-zeiten-der-spannung-libmod-bringt-israelis-und-palaestinenser-zusammen\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T14:46:58","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T13:46:58","slug":"dialogue-in-times-of-tension-libmod-brings-israelis-and-palestinians-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/libmod.de\/en\/dialogue-in-times-of-tension-libmod-brings-israelis-and-palestinians-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Dialogue in Times of Tension: LibMod brings Israelis and Pales\u00adtinians together"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On 10 and 11 November, the Middle East Network of the Centre for Liberal Modernity organized two polit\u00adi\u00adcally signif\u00adicant events in Israel and the Pales\u00adtinian terri\u00adtories of the West Bank, creating space for an open dialogue between Israelis and Pales\u00adtinians. Despite the tense situation on the ground, more than 100 partic\u00adi\u00adpants came together to discuss prospects for peace, regional cooper\u00adation, and the future of diplo\u00admatic initiatives.<\/h3>\n

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On 10 and 11 November, the Middle East Network of the Centre for Liberal Modernity organized two polit\u00adi\u00adcally signif\u00adicant events in Israel and the Pales\u00adtinian terri\u00adtories of the West Bank, creating space for open dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians.<\/p>\n

Despite the tense situation on the ground and the opposition of the Pales\u00adtinian Authority, more than 100 Pales\u00adtinians and Israelis came together near Jericho in the Pales\u00adtinian terri\u00adtories to strengthen local-level efforts toward recon\u00adcil\u00adi\u00adation. The event in Jericho was organized jointly with the \u201cAlliance for Two States,\u201d 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 Pales\u00adtinians are trauma\u00adtized 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 excep\u00adtional \u2013 as noted by all participants.<\/p>\n

Ehud Olmert<\/strong>, former Prime Minister of Israel, took part in the event in person. Together with his Pales\u00adtinian partner Nasser Al-Kidwa, former Foreign Minister and long-standing PA repre\u00adsen\u00adtative to the United Nations, Olmert advocates for the revival of dialogue and the impor\u00adtance of a two-state solution.<\/p>\n

The German Federal Foreign Office was repre\u00adsented by Anke Schlimm<\/strong>, Head of the Repre\u00adsen\u00adtative Office in Ramallah. Other prominent partic\u00adi\u00adpants included Gershon Baskin<\/strong> (Middle East mediator), Jeremy Issacharoff<\/strong>, former Israeli Ambas\u00adsador to Germany, and Eyal Waldman<\/strong> (founder of Mellanox Technologies). Waldman is a highly respected high-tech entre\u00adpreneur whose daughter was killed during the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel at the Nova Music Festival. On the Pales\u00adtinian side, partic\u00adi\u00adpants included Samer Sinijlawi<\/strong> (Alliance for Two States) as well as a repre\u00adsen\u00adtative of the Chamber of Commerce in Gaza, who joined via Zoom. Despite the difficult circum\u00adstances and diverging views, the atmos\u00adphere remained remarkably friendly and respectful.<\/p>\n

On 11 November, around 30 inter\u00adna\u00adtional students of conflict resolution came together to discuss possible pathways out of the Israeli-Pales\u00adtinian conflict, the prospects of the Trump Plan, and the potential for Saudi-Israeli normal\u00adization. The event was organized jointly with Tel Aviv University and brought together high-level speakers from Israeli, Pales\u00adtinian, and Saudi backgrounds: Abdulaziz Alkhamis<\/strong>, Saudi columnist and Middle East expert; Lianne Pollak-David<\/strong>, co-founder of the Israeli Coalition for Regional Security and the \u201cAbraham Shield\u201d initiative; Samer Sinijlawi<\/strong>; and political scientist Prof. Udi Sommer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Both gatherings were important, even though partic\u00adi\u00adpants held widely differing views \u2013 some optimistic, others far more pessimistic regarding the prospects of the Trump Plan, and even more so regarding a two-state solution. This coexis\u00adtence of diverging opinions reflects the complex reality on the ground. A major benefit of the meetings was the face-to-face inter\u00adaction, with many Pales\u00adtinian partic\u00adi\u00adpants meeting Israelis for the first time, and vice versa. Pales\u00adtinians openly shared their frustra\u00adtions and hopes, while Israelis voiced doubts about the sincerity of a peaceful Pales\u00adtinian push for self-deter\u00admi\u00adnation. One thing was clear to both sides: both societies remain far from a two-state solution. Never\u00adtheless, partic\u00adi\u00adpants agreed that peace is not made by govern\u00adments alone, but above all by the people living in the region. All expressed strong support for continuing such direct dialogue on the ground.<\/p>\n

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Note: Newsletter & Podcast<\/strong>
For further background and analysis on devel\u00adop\u00adments in the Middle East, we recommend Marc Schulman\u2019s newsletter and podcast. In addition to a conver\u00adsation with Kerstin M\u00fcller on the situation on the ground, both formats also report on the events described above and provide further context and commentary.<\/p>\n

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