| Posted: April 28 2005,10:35 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
During
the recent Intifada (2000-), Palestine experienced a serious escalation
in the repressive methods of occupation, including military violence
against people, land expropriation, house demolitions, tree uprooting,
and the widespread application of traveling barriers such as
checkpoints.
During the last year, there has been progress towards
a demilitarization of the Intifada and a culture of democracy in the
Palestinian Territories. However, it seems that the upcoming Israeli
withdrawal from the Gaza settlements will coincide with a tightening
control over the West Bank and East-Jerusalem. If the Israeli
government works towards a division of the Palestinian Territory into
small enclaves, it is not likely that the present small steps towards a
culture of peace can be upheld or developed, as such a fragmentation
will generate a culture of despair and possibly violence.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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The
greatest obstacles are the continuing occupation and the settlement
process which do not allow the Palestinian Territories to become a
viable state in the short as well as the long run. Presently, the
international community either tacitly supports the occupation or
settlement process, or it is critical but unable to translate criticism
into preventive or corrective policy.
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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ACTIONS AEI-OPEN WINDOWS 2000-2005
Marches
At
the initiative of AEI-Open Windows, "Justice and Peace" marches were
held at 31 December 2002 and 2003, led by the heads of Churches, imams
and various local and national authorities, with the participation of
thousands of people who demanded an end to occupation and an opening of
Jerusalem. AEI was secretary in a preparatory committee that included
other Palestinian organizations like Rapprochement, Wi'am, Holy Land
Trust, and PNGO.
Right to education in Palestine ("Let Our Children Go to School")
Together
with the heads of the churches and imams, AEI-Open Windows organized a
series of meetings, vigils, picket-lines and walks in and around the
Church of Nativity Square (2002-2003) to demand the right of education
for Palestinian youths. We received help in distributing a petition
from among others, the Middle East Council of Churches in Jerusalem,
the Latin Patriarchate, the Bethlehem Association in the US, Pax
Christi, IKV, Nonviolent Peace Force, and Rapprochement. It was signed
by some 1500 persons from a range of northern and southern countries,
and submitted through Pax Christi at the UN Commission for Human Rights
(2003). It brought AEI into contact with various Nobel Peace Prize
Laureates, church and educational organizations in Holland, Belgium,
US, and also Israel.
Living in the Holy Land: Respecting differences
An
AEI-Open Windows project (1999-2005) that is designed to promote
understanding between Israelis and Palestinians by exposing students to
each other’s religions viz., Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The
project runs on separate tracks due to the political and practical
difficulties in organizing direct school-to-school exchanges between
Palestine and Israel. A 250-page manual contains information about some
major themes within the three religions: a) the meaning of the land, b)
justice and c) compassion.
Christian and Muslim Interfaith reading group
Read, Reflect and Act is an activity planned and carried out by Christians and Muslims from the AEI youth groups. They
1. read passages from the New Testament and the Koran, choose passages that shed light on a theme
2. reflect silently and in dialogue on the passages' meaning for their personal life and the life of their communities
3.
consider plans for action in the service of individuals, groups and
societies, like visiting a retrait center in Beit Sahour or a house for
the elderly in Bethlehem.
The project aims at exposing
Christians and Muslims to each other’s cultures and religions on a
grassroots educational level, and at promoting, in a practical way,
human values like help, neighborhood, and solidarity.
Christmas Peace and Justice Wishes and Prayers campaigns (2001-2004)
Pax
Christi International, the International Fellowship of Reconciliation
(IFOR), Church and Peace and the Presidency of the Conference of
European Justice and Peace Commissions have supported the initiative of
AEI-Open Windows, the Centre for Conflict Resolution and Reconciliation
(CCRR) and Wi'am Center in Bethlehem to invite all its international
members to e-mail wishes and prayers for peace to Bethlehem in the
Christmas period. AEI coordinated the action on the Bethlehem side. We
received in 2004 some 500 wishes and prayers. A large part of the
wishes and prayers received were read and distributed in different
social and religious gatherings and celebrations.
Developing non-violent scenarios
We
developed projects (2004-5) in which some dozens of youths are
facilitated in the development of non-violent scenarios in facing the
Wall.
UN Peace Day 2003 and 2004
We celebrated the UN Peace
Day at celebrations at the Lutheran Church (2004) and St Catherine's
Church (2003) in Bethlehem. Prayers and wishes collected during the
previous year were pronounced.
Popular arts and cultural events
To
develop the community, which is for us an important element in building
"internal peace," AEI organized a singing choir of Moslems and
Christians from different geographical places. The songs emphasize
Moslem-Christian living together. Other cultural community-building
events were annual celebrations of a Teacher’s Day, both in Ramallah
and Bethlehem, monthly fieldtrips for Moslems and Christians, and joint
Iftars (breaking of the fast during Ramadan).
Internal sessions on spirituality and non-violence
AEI-Open
Windows has six groups who have weekly meetings on topics related to
human development, peace and non-violence. They present concepts of
non-violence and peace building through reading of Koran and Bible,
reflections, readings of prayers, drama, and sometimes TV episodes,
radio fragments, newspaper articles and other aids. It also uses
non-violence and peace education materials which AEI receives from the
Pax Christi U.K. section and others. From time to time guest speakers
have been invited to lecture and discuss topics of peace and conflict
resolution, conflict prevention and other human rights issues.
Workshops have been held during various community-building fieldtrips
in the environment in which other students and teachers participate as
well.
International school exchange projects on peace and non-violence
It
is one of the AEI-Open Windows’ strengths that it has the school,
student and teacher networks, as well as a computer lab, that enable
the development of international computer exchanges on peace-related
topics. In the Sharing Stories project are presently 20 Dutch and
Palestinian school communities involved with some hundreds of students,
15-17 years old, writing stories about violence (2002), identity (2003)
and dreams/reality (2004). Other school exchnges are in development,
especially a UNESCO-sponsored arts exchange with youngsters in Germany,
France, Rafah (Gaza) and possibly Haifa (Israel).
Cooperation with international monitoring and protection groups
AEI-Open
Windows has cooperated with United Civilians for Peace (Holland),
Quakers Peace and Social Witness (UK), and presently the EAPPI (World
Council of Churches) in hosting international volunteers who come,
among other things, to monitor human rights violations and protect the
local population.
Visits of peace groups
International
exchanges and encounters that involve Palestinian youths and adults
support a culture of peace. AEI-Open Windows has received many groups
and delegations at her office in Bethlehem. Just some recent examples:
The student parish of the Dutch University of Twente showed interest in
developing a relation with AEI, and organized a visit of 15 university
students May 2004 in the context of an exchange program. During
Christmas 2004, a group of some 40 Pax Christi peace pilgrims visited
Bethlehem, and AEI arranged a week-long program for them, which
included various creative non-violent actions like Wall-painting and
balloon-lifting. Conversely, AEI-Open Windows delegations went to peace
meetings in countries such as Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, UK, Canada
and US. AEI-Open Windows held also various consultation meetings with
the partners Pax Christi and IKV (Interchurch Peace Council).
International Palestinian-Israeli exchanges
AEI-Open
Windows is partner and member of various organizational committees in
the All-in-Peace and Peace It Together, both international networks
that prmote Israeli-Palestinian educational encounters in countries
like Greece and Canada. AEI-Open Windows is also partner in the
Dutch-Palestinian-Israeli "Justice and Peace campaign" (2003-2005),
which organizes meetings, trainings and non-violent activities on the
issue of restrictions on freedom of movement, in which Palestinian and
Israeli youths participate.
Publications
AEI-Open Windows has
developed a series of publications ("Culture and Palestine series")
which help to develop a culture of peace. The brochures and books, and
recently two brief films, present the culturally and religiously rich
heritage of Bethlehem and Palestine. They also include oral histories
and diaries of Bethlehemites and Hebronites, and experiences of
oppression and non-violence. For a full list, see www.aeicenter.org
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
AEI-Open
Windows advices the Secretary General and UN Assembly to develop
political conditions which help to stop Israeli settlement building and
expansion, and the building of the Segregation Wall, in accordance with
the Advisory Opinion given by the International Court of Justice in the
Hague (July 2004). The implementation of international law in the
Palestinian Territories is the major factor that would move people from
a culture of despair to a culture of hope.
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
A) Pax Christi International, to which AEI-Open Windows is affiliated .
B) Interchurch Peace Council (IKV) network
C) Local partner of Ecumenical Accompaniment Program in Palestine and Israel (World Council of Churches)
D) Local partner of United Civilians for Peace (Netherlands: Novib, Pax Christi, IKV, Cordaid, ICCO, Church-in-Action)
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
a) Development of a Youth House in Bethlehem in which Palestinian youths gain hope through cultural and community activities.
b)
Development of a School of Communication for international exchanges,
especially the communication of Palestinian identity/reality towards an
international audience.
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Postal address of organization
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P.O.Box 681
Bethlehem
Palestine via Israel
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E-mail address of organization
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aei@p-ol.com
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Website address of organization
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www.aeicenter.org
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Free flow of information and knowledge
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Palestine
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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