Today and tomorrow ( Thursday – Friday, Oct. 24-25) Hamashbir Plaza on Jerusalem’s King George St. will witness an unusual event – a grassroots Israeli-Palestinian Negotiating Congress. The idea is to take the issue of negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians out of the closed rooms and into the public space, enabling ordinary people to watch and take part . An Israeli delegation and a Palestinian one, neither one including professional diplomats, will meet at the heart of Jerusalem and negotiate on ending the conflict , in the presence and with active participation of the passersby audience. They will try to reach a comprehensive agreement, dealing with the most difficult and delicate issues - as an example and an incentive for those conducting the official negotiations . The Israeli delegation will include, among others : Zeev Raz - Colonel (ter.) Zeev Raz, combat pilot the attack on the Iraqi reactor in 1981 Abie Moses – Who lost his wife and young son in a terrorist attack, making him a symbol of bereavement and of standing against terrorism . Orna Oshri - graphic editor of Yedioth Ahronoth Rabbi Haim Cohen Yehoshua Meyer - a religious settler Kibbutz Kfar Etzion The Palestinian delegation includes academics , educators , business people, former prisoners and students. An earlier similar event took place on the same location on August 22-23. At that time, a lot of people gathered on the spot and a heated discussion started between the delegations to the public. At one point it seemed that violence would break out, but the interaction between the settlers who were part of the Israeli delegation and members of the Palestinian delegation helped cool things down. Eventually a draft agreement was reached and participants marched to the Prime Minister’s residence to hand the text which they agreed on. We hope for a similar success in the current event. We very much hope that there will be no violence, but are also prepared to deal with it if it occurs . Welcome, we and look forward to seeing you , Sapir Handelman - 050-307-6927 The Minds of Peace congress held in late August demonstrates that most Israelis and Palestinians want peace. After many meetings the negotiation are not finished and a larger group will gather to continue discussions to bring about peace. “People are exhausted from the conflict and want to end it,” said founder of Minds of Peace, Sapir Handelman. “The Israelis and Palestinian people need to be involved in all phases of the of the peace process, peacemaking, peace-building and peacekeeping.” The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is one of the most entrenched conflicts in the world with disastrous consequences for all the people involved. Many substantial peace-making initiatives have been carried out but have failed to produce a lasting peace. A key element that was missing in all these peace initiatives was the direct involvement of the people in the process and preparing them for change. The Minds of Peace organization allows Israeli-Palestinian people to have a public negotiating congress and to create cooperation amongst the group and create a voice with political power. Small-scale Israeli-Palestinian public negotiating congress are set up to create cooperation. “Ordinary people can be so creative, it’s unbelievable!” For four years now, Handelman’s non-profit organization Minds of Peace has been staging negotiation “congresses,” which began on college campuses and at community centers in North America and lately have taken place in public plazas of Israel’s largest cities. Dr. Daniel Mahgerefteh, of Los Angeles, is the chief executive officer of Minds of Peace and explains, “The dialogue is conducted in two stages and the two delegations are requested to conclude with a general agreement on confidence-building measures and the suspension of the violent struggle; and are requested to reach a conclusive peace agreement.” The congress comprises Israeli and Palestinian delegations made up of people from all walks of life that come to discuss debate and negotiate solutions to the conflict under the guidance of two moderators. The negotiations are conducted in front of an audience who is invited to participate in the peacemaking process. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The last Minds of Peace congress took place August 22 & 23, 2013 The two sides agreed upon the following: All settlement building would cease during negotiations, which should last no longer than a year. Palestinian prisoners (political not criminal) would be released gradually under the supervision of a joint Palestinian-Israeli committee and would commit to giving up violence and incitement. The borders for a Palestinian state would reflect those of 1967 but with a proviso for land swaps that would not exceed 5% of the West Bank. Land swaps will be regulated by a joint committee of Palestinian and Israeli experts. The newly established Palestinian state would not have an army but would have armed police forces. A security strip will be established along the border between the Palestinian State and Jordan, supervised by an Israeli, Palestinian and International border protection unit. The border crossings between the Palestinian State and Jordan would be under Palestinian jurisdiction. With regards to the settlements, all Israeli residents living beyond the Green Line would be given the option of either evacuating or staying under Palestinian sovereignty and the Palestinian state in return would agree to protect the rights of minorities. The issue of Jerusalem and the Right of Return was not resolved but the two sides committed to meeting again and coming to an agreement. Minds of Peace presented the final draft of the peace treaty to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu abd the Palestinian chair, Ibrahim Enbawi, sent the agreement and pictures of the assembly to Hamas’ leaders in Gaza. “The main purpose of the agreement is to show that peace is possible and the people on both sides want to end the conflict by peaceful means The agreements on the Internet and the Palestinians always send them to their leaders. More information on Minds of Peace: Media Request: Sari M Cicurel sari.cicurel@gmail Dr. Sapir Handelman, Chairman of the Board of Minds of Peace 972-50-307-6927 and sapir.handelman@gmail Daniel Mahgerefteh, chief executive officer of Minds of Peace dmahgerefteh@yahoo mindsofpeace.org/
Posted on: Thu, 24 Oct 2013 05:47:53 +0000
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