Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Eyal Raviv on May 18, 2008 at 2:29pm

Your suggestions and ideas are welcomed. We wan tyou to be able to participate in our event even if you cannot be in Tel Aviv on June 1. We will look at ways to overcome barriers so we can meet in person in the future.

We will integrate our discussions from June 1 into mepeace.org so that our Peace Cafe will continue and everyone can participate.

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Permalink Reply by Jafra W. on May 18, 2008 at 3:04pm

my attention: what would be the best first step to start a positive process of strategical planing toward a bigger more productive "movement"/"community" and hopefully toward a global grass-.roots Israeli/Palestinian peace-process ?

often people talk and talk, discuss without sense and write and create statement, initiatives, but all of what they are doing is not sustainable. It is not a step toward a further step. There is no realistic defined objectives which are well planed to be implements.
I mean we can take our efforts here and in other places more serious and review continuously our way of thinking ..

To be more clear about what we are doing here, I have following proposal for the first meeting.
Lets brainstorming
Every member: Pls try to put key-questions need to be answered in Peace-Cafe meeting!
Lets chose the correct strategic questions we can create upon a process of analysis about our common mission.
We can sort the questions later accordingly; What should we question/answer at first step/phase to answer the questions later.

For example, I can answer "weather Dialog possible" If I do not clarify, what is Dilaog? Why we need Dailog? etc.

Or, I can not answer why Palestinians are not joining the discussions, before I understand, "what are my expectations on MEpeace?" "and what is my rule?"

etc.

We can then take the first group of question, possible answers and design inquiry/poll which can be send to all members (bi-lingual)

this was my idea. We have to find a good way to move from inspiration/interaction atmosphere into practical steps toward a measurable progress.

Best,
Wael

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Permalink Reply by amal abu zaidan on May 18, 2008 at 3:48pm

hi all
in our nest meeting i would like to discuss the follows:
1- what is considered as peace making and how can we difine peace making also proffisionally
2-regarding to our resources at possiblities whan can we do to promot peace making
3- how can we keep the mometom and passion in translation our principle into actions
4-how can we strenghten our comunity in all levels
5-to drow our common vision

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Permalink Reply by Roni Segoly on May 18, 2008 at 4:11pm

I will do my best to attend.

As for topics I would like to add, or emphasise, the need to discuss how we do not just repeat what other are already doing, and my main interest - how to use the Internet more effectively to promote and communicate.

Roni

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Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on May 18, 2008 at 6:03pm

Some thoughts

1) How can we map all the organizations that are involved and how we service them to make a better integral collaboration?

2) how can we describe Peace, is it a stasis or more dynamic state?

3) What are the core issues that grassroots activists can address?

4) What will be our problem after the peace, how will we address them, should we start now?

5) Is mepeace a collaborative creation? in what sense?

6) What do I expect mepeace do that no other organization do?

7) what is the "outside" of mepeace and what is the "inside" what should we develop between us, and what should we develop in mepeace relation to the world?

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Permalink Reply by Sue Wolpert on May 19, 2008 at 2:48am

Q 1)-How can we map all the organizations that are involved and how we service them to make a better integral collaboration?
Have you ever done a “network of conversation” map?
Each person makes a list of everyone they talk to. You look at which conversations you have with which people. You draw maps of how these conversations move around.

Maybe we could do this for organizations as well. How are different organizations linked. (I found this forum by following links on other MEpeace sites). I know most people in the US are unaware of all of individuals and groups in Israel and Palestine that are engaged with others in working for change. I wonder how aware people in Israel and Palestine are of all of the groups?

Valdes Crebbs and the folks at Network Weaving have created software for building a maps of social connections. When you look at one of these maps you see who can see who is connected to who and also who is not connected. A Network Weaver goes out to make those connections.
Network Weaving - http://www.networkweaving.com/index.html
http://www.ccnreno.org/rflyer/BuildingNetworks.pdf


Q2) In English peace = freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility. When I imagine peace between Israel and Palestine I imagine a situation where there is a healthy enough ground of security and freedom present that would allow for conflicts and disturbances to arise as opportunities to move life forward in a normal way. I imagine people living in a civilization in which people are optimistic about the future.

Here is something else:
Related to the interconnectedness of organizations is the question of what information can you believe is true? I have found that people want their information certified "kosher", meaning that unless they get it from a source they trust they don't allow themselves to use it in thinking things out what should be done next.

Some topics for Peace Café:
Question for a café discussion: Share a story about when your own group suppressed what you want to say and think about with others?
Question for a café discussion: Share a story about how a message on the internet made you feel afraid.
Question for a café discussion: Complete the statement: Peace is………………
Question for a café discussion: Complete the statement: Guilt is a register of……………..(when guilt is present what else is present or missing).

And finally : Is this gathering really happening and am I welcome as a traveling American to attend?

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Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on May 19, 2008 at 5:17am

Dear Sue,

It would be wonderful if you can join us.

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Permalink Reply by IsraeliMom on May 18, 2008 at 6:44pm

Interesting idea, this meeting. Won't be mostly Jews/Israelis, almost by definition, being located in Tel Aviv? Right across from the Kirya too ;) Not sure how many peace events a year my husband will allow me to attend. Unless children are allowed and welcome, I may have exhausted my peace meetings for this year with the recent event in Givat Haviva...

No brilliant ideas for questions to discuss. Personally, if I were able to come, I'd like to get to know people more than anything else. I think that "deeper" discussions on questions raised here might be good for the forums themselves - giving people more time to think and formulate their thoughts and put them in writing, in English too, so every member can read and possibly join in the discussion, no matter where he/she lives. Maybe it's the female perspective lol, I just think that face-to-face is more about getting to know the people than formulating any grand notions ;)

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Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on May 18, 2008 at 8:16pm

I do not think this is the only type of event and it can have parallel event anywhere with same investigation question or others.

On the web we can put videos, pictures and summaries of the events.

We also can generate other type of meeting, less talking more creating common ground for the middle east peace.

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Permalink Reply by Shaul on May 23, 2008 at 8:04pm

Too bad that your hubby don't "allow" you to attend the next mepeace meeting. Doesn't he want to be a peacemaker too?...
But I agree with you. The most important thing in such a meeting is to get to know people in a more personal way. There is enough forums, or online sites like this one here, to discuss endlessly about the great ideas, the big solutions. But there are few occasion to really meet peacemakers from different origins and backgrounds.
What is important is to stress the common human ground between people, no matter of female or male, Palestinians or Jews, or whatever. The only real differences between people are due to the difference of character or personality.

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Permalink Reply by Jafra W. on May 18, 2008 at 7:48pm

Would be great, if Palestinians at MEpeace meet in parallel as well. I saw there is many from Jenin for example .. We may agree on the questions/Agenda and can be run in Parallel to compare the results and intensify dialog.

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Permalink Reply by Noa D on May 18, 2008 at 9:23pm

Jafra, I totally agree with you, I think it is not only great but essential.

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