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Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information Annual Report 2011
IPCRI
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information Annual Report 2011 IPCRI The Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) is an Israeli-Palestinian partnership joining activists, academics, negotiators, political and economic experts in the development of a viable, just and sustainable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Founded in 1988, IPCRI is the most veteran joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Over 24 years of experience in conducting thousands of meetings between Palestinians and Israelis, and in implementing peace-building and ‘think tank’ / ‘do tank’ activities with a practical dimension, IPCRI has made and continues to make a difference. In good times and in bad, during peace negotiations and during the Intifadas, IPCRI continues to build peace. Bringing over 10,000 Israelis and Palestinians together, numerous initiatives and spinoffs, managing practical projects, producing dozens of position and research papers and creating an atmosphere conducive to cooperation, IPCRI is positioned at the core of the peace movement in Israel/Palestine.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
MISSION STATEMENT
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The Israel/ Palestine Center for Research and Information is a joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli – Palestinian conflict on the basis of “two states for two peoples”. IPCRI recognizes the rights of the Jewish people and the Palestinian people to fulfill their national interests within the framework of achieving national self-determination within their own states and by establishing peaceful relations between two democratic states living side-by-side. It should be noted that as of the beginning of 2012, IPCRI has undergone a complete leadership change, the two longstanding co-CEOs of IPCRI, Mr. Hanna Siniora and Dr. Gershon Baskin, have been replaced, in December 2011 and February 2012, by Mr. Dan Goldenblatt and Ms. Riman Barakat, respectively. IPCRI is currently in the process of a strategic planning process that will include a revised mission statement and a strategic plan, which will include development and media strategy and an overall re-evaluation of IPCRI's activities, successes and failures to date and its plans for the future. At this stage, it can be said that IPCRI will continue striving for a just resolution of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict; it will maintain its strict bi-national structure; it will seek to challenge perceptions pertaining to the conflict; and it will seek to involve and engage new groups in society in the search for a peaceful and just resolution of the conflict and maximize its impact with the resources it has.
Annual Report In 2011 IPCRI continued working on Track II negotiation and ‘Think Tank’ activities that resulted in tangible achievements among them IPCRI’s key role in the exchange of Gilad Shalit and Palestinian prisoners (see below) and its part in stimulating the Palestinian Authority’s efforts in the United Nations for recognition as a state like the prisoner exchange and the move to the United Nations this year. In addition, public events like conferences and lectures took place with the objective to educate the public on possibilities for peace building. IPCRI also continued working on environmental projects and last, but not least, on People-to-People conflict mitigation.
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rack II Negotiation and Think Tank Activity
The official peace process has been dormant most of the year which led the Palestine Liberation Organization to take steps to capture the attention of the world and to gain recognition as an existing sovereign state through gaining membership in the United Nations. This strategy was developed by IPCRI and presented at a UN conference in Jakarta in 2008. It suggested the strategy and the steps that would need to be taken on the road to statehood. The plan recommended engaging the United States first and working on getting its support, and cautioned against doing it if US support could not be ensured. Additionally, the plan also called on Palestinians to relate to the approach it advocated as a strategy for saving the two-state solution.
USAID Grant Confirmation One of the most significant accomplishments of 2011 was a confirmation from USAID of a $1,000,000 award to IPCRI for a youth empowerment project – "Young Leaders Partner for Change". The project is a two year project that starts in 2012. It involves Jewish and Arab youth, aged 15-17, in three mixed communities in Israel, Jaffa, Ramle and Lod. The project starts off with a series of facilitated meetings of the youth in the three communities where issues of identity, community and leadership are discussed. An output of these meetings is personal short video clips that will be prepared by the program participants. The second stage is a bi-national three day retreat where the participants meet one another to participate in leadership, communication, conflict resolution and other workshops. The final stage involves mixed Jewish Arab groups developing and executing joint community projects.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
The most significant accomplishment of 2011 without a doubt was the direct involvement of IPCRI’s Israeli Co-CEO, Dr. Gershon Baskin, in the secret back channel negotiations between the State of Israel and Hamas that led to the prisoner’s exchange and the release of the captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit after five years and four months in Gaza. The secret back channel developed directly from activities of IPCRI in the past, specifically the attempts to create a discrete dialogue between Israeli academics and Hamas scholars from the Islamic University of Gaza in 2005-2006. That dialogue never came to fruition because of restrictions imposed by the Hamas leadership on its participants. But the channel of communication that opened through the attempts to create the dialogue was critical in the development of the secret back channel negotiations that became official in May 2011.
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STAT - Strategic Thinking and Analysis Teams – Political and Economic Working Groups IPCRI features high on the international list of ‘Think Tanks’. It has recently been ranked in the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania in the top thirty Think Tanks in the MENA region and, for the first time, also in the top thirty think tanks with the most innovative policy proposals/ideas. Since its inception in 1988, IPCRI has conducted discrete joint Israeli-Palestinian working groups of experts in various fields. Over the past years IPCRI has convened on a monthly basis two working groups – the political group and the economic working group. During 2011 the political working group focused primarily on the UN process – the decision of the PLO to go to the United Nations to seek membership for the State of Palestine. As already mentioned the general idea of going to the UN for membership was developed in an IPCRI policy paper presented by Gershon Baskin at a United Nations Conference on Palestine in Jakarta in June 2008. Eight meetings of the political working group were held in 2011. The Economic working group focused on three main issues during 2011: economic development in Area C; renewable energy in Palestine; and Banking issues – the freezing of cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian Banks.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
IPCRI also conducted a special working group that held a meeting for four days in the Konrad Adenauer Conference center in Como, Italy, which focused on the proposed Rand Corporation Arc plan for physical infrastructure in Palestine.
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In addition to the more working group meetings described above, this year also saw a round of meetings between Israeli and Palestinian peace activists. These activists mostly work on their ‘side’ in their respective communities and can learn much from knowing ‘the other’ and details of activism for peace that takes place on the other ‘side’. These meetings resulted in the creation of new connections and understanding of each other’s realities.. These activities were funded by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Foundation.
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ublic events
Wednesday Afternoons IPCRI convened during 2011 an open public forum for Israelis and Palestinians on issues of public concern regarding the rebuilding of peaceful relations between Israel and the Palestinians. The issues that are addressed within the forum are in the main related to current events. The aim of the forum is to involve the Israeli and Palestinian publics in open debate and dialogue around the most important current political developments. The forum’s participants in the audience, include Israeli and Palestinian activists, local and international journalists and members of the diplomatic community. Events held in 2011 included:
The Status of Palestinian State Building – what remains to be done? The Secret Back Channel Negotiations for the Release of Gilad Shalit What is the situation in Gaza – politics, economy, and the future? Going to the United Nations – impacts and implications
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nvironment
Households unconnected to electricity in the West Bank 2011 IPCRI conducted a comprehensive research on the number of unconnected households in the West Bank and investigated policy options for connecting them. The information collected offers a general overview of the current status of electricity needs in the West Bank, and broad estimates for costs required to meet those needs. The final report included documentation of the considerations required by the political situation, a description of the challenges to data collection, and a narrative of the findings of the study. The research was financed by the Czech government.
Findings
The costs associated with providing electrical power to these communities vary widely depending on the proposed solution. Attaching each village to the main grid would be most cost effective. We have not included a cost estimate for this approach, however, as it is impossible to estimate costs without conducting detailed feasibility studies for each case. Building micro grid and hybrid solar generation (MSG) systems within each village would cost approximately $19,360,000 (actual cost could vary considerably from this estimate as explained above). Installing independent energy systems for each home would cost a total of around $75,120,000 (this estimate is considerably more accurate as final cost is determined by far fewer factors). The second option is more advisable from a sustainability and functionality standpoint. Individual systems require far less maintenance than a MSG system; receiving permits for individual systems would likely face far fewer bureaucratic obstacles than would building a local grid, and the use of individual systems removes the challenges posed by residents seeking to consume more than their share of power from an MSG grid.
Climate Change IPCRI has been for the last four years a partner in a major research project on the impact of climate change on the Jordan Basin which is financed by the Ministry of Education and Science in Germany. IPCRI’s role has been to help promote cooperation among the eight research teams from Israel, four from Jordan, three from Palestine, which together with teams from Germany have contributed to the project. It has also helped to produce explanatory literature and reports on the results of the project so as to make its work better known and has assisted in the writing of alternative scenarios envisaging alternative responses to climate change set in a wider economic and social context.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
There are approximately 1936 households and a total of seventy-three villages in the West Bank lacking adequate electrical power. Of those seventy-three, forty-eight (48%) have zero access to electricity. The villages that do enjoy limited access do so through the use private generators. Some portion (but not all) of the population of the following eight villages also receives power from the grid: Ein Shibli (Nablus Area), Al Buweib, Beit Mirsim, Om Adaraj, An Najada, Anab al Kabir, Khirbet Bir al ‘Idd, and Arab al Fureijat (Hebron Area). The total KWh required by the seventy-three villages is approximately 530,080 (7261/village average). 32,080 KWh (439/village average) are needed for public use such as schools and street lighting.
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Science and the Response to Climate Change in Israel At the end of March, 2012, IPCRI co-sponsored together with the Porter School of Environmental Studies and the GLOWA Jordan River Project, a two day conference on: “Science and the Response to Climate Change in Israel”. At the conference it was concluded that if there is to be a long term and sustainable response to the dangers posed by climate change in the Middle East there must be a sustained cooperative effort on the part of all the countries of the region together with international donors and organizations. The conference was concerned both with informing the Israeli scientific community as to what the major research project known as "GLOWA Jordan river" has achieved (it is due to end this June) and to look forward to what needs to be done in the future if adaptation to climate change is be carried out successfully. Participants included senior government officials, academics and professionals. While participants in this meeting were all from Israel, similar meetings are being held in Jordan and Palestine. The results of all three meetings will be discussed at a follow-up meeting later this year in which representatives of all three countries, together with German officials and academics, will attempt to fashion a regional policy. A central feature of such a policy as envisaged by participants in the conference will be a Regional Climate Change Center which would collect and make available to all stakeholders both in the region and beyond data relevant to climate change, stimulate effective applied research, offer training/capacity building in relevant disciplines, and provide a forum for discussion amongst interested parties. IPCRI will be actively involved in attempting the realization of this effort which, if it can be achieved, will constitute an important contribution not only to adapting to climate change but to promoting much needed regional cooperation.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
On the Ground Activities
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During the course of the year IPCRI was engaged with two projects which were designed to improve the quality of life of Palestinians. The first was undertaken in cooperation with the Israeli NGO ‘Comet’ (the lead partner) and provided alternative energy to several small Palestinian villages in the southern West Bank which are not connected to the electricity grid. Units were installed in several small communities and have substantially improved the lives of the villagers who have electricity during the night and the ability to use electric equipment for such things as churning butter (thereby improving their economic situation). IPCRI provided backing for the project in the shape of a grant obtained from the Government of New Zealand. The second was aimed at providing low cost sanitation to a village in the Governorate of Jenin in the West Bank. Begun in 2010 with backing from Government of Japan, this project was designed to provide a low cost system dependent on collection of waste water using gravity flow, the treatment of sewage using a septic tank and wetland and its use of the treated water in agriculture. Unfortunately this project proved more expensive than at first envisaged and has still not been completed. The director of IPCRI’s environmental program, Robin Twite, will be actively concerned with the follow-up to the conference as described above.
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edia and Public Appearances
As mentioned above, Dr. Baskin's involvement in the release of Gilad Shalit and 1027 Palestinian prisoners gave Dr. Baskin as well as IPCRI an invaluable amount of media coverage which cannot be quantified or given a value. These media coverage included interviews on television, radio, and in newspapers, in Israel, Palestine and in global media. IPCRI also maintains a website as well as two Facebook pages with nearly 5,000 members on both as well as a Twitter account. All of IPCRI's Wednesday afternoon seminars were video recorded and then put on Youtube, these seminars attracted hundreds of viewers online.
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eople-to-People
Women Empowered for Peace
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hallenges and opportunities for the Future
The main challenges ahead fall within two different categories: 1. The lack of a credible official peace process makes it more and more difficult to provide people in the conflict zone with a sense of efficacy and hope. As we seem to move further away from the chances of peace, people on both sides of the conflict have more difficulty understanding why their participation is important. 2. There is growing pressure on the Palestinian side not to participate in joint activities. The pressure comes mainly from the Palestinian “left” but it is spreading across the mainstream as well, threatening the possibilities for engaging people in joint activities. The main opportunities ahead are:
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
IPCRI’s ‘Women Empowered for Peace’ project is noteworthy because it brought together women who are not “the usual suspects”. The participants in this project came mainly from the periphery of Israel and the West Bank and most had never participated in peace-activist or empowerment activities before. Despite their fear about meeting women from the other side, once they did meet, they embraced each other and developed follow-up activities going beyond the plans of IPCRI’s project.
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1. IPCRI's board has appointed a new leadership for the organization. Transition periods are always challenges but also pose great opportunities for innovations, fresh new starts, new ideas and an overall rethink that happens when an organization that has been managed by the same leadership for many years goes through such a change.
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
IPCRI's new leadership is in the process of a structured re-examination of its vision, mission, tasks and strategies but it already knows that two of the key points it is going to highlight are challenging perceptions and involving new groups and people in the processes, projects, groups and activities it conducts.
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F
inancial information
IPCRI has no resources of its own and is thus depended on outside contributions. In 2011, funds came inter alia from the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, US AID, Government of Japan, Government of New Zealand, German Ministry of Science and Education, the Middle East Partnership Initiative, various Representatives Offices such as the Canadian, Dutch, Danish, and private donors. IPCRI's 2010 and 2011 audited financial report can be provided upon request to anyone who wishes to review our financial status. Additionally, IPCRI can provide, upon request, a trial balance for the present.
Revenues
Funding -Smaller Project - ₪ 58,400 Donations - ₪210,400 Restricted Projects Funding A ₪194,300
Expenditures
Management & Administrative - 21% Think Tank - 17% Afternoons with IPCRI 20% Water & Enviroment - 32% Peace Education - 10%
The amounts are in New Israeli Shekels (NIS) (€1≈5NIS) ($1≈3,7NIS)
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
Restricted Projects Funding B ₪222,200
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O
rganizational Chart
Share Holders - 7 Israelis and 7 Palestinians
Financial Committee
Board of Directors - 10 Israelis and 10 Palestinians
Co-CEOs Israeli and Palestinian
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
Director of Enviroment
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Project Financial Officer
Director of Development
Volunteers
IPCRI has a joint Board of Directors composed of 10 Israelis and 10 Palestinians, as well as two CEOs. In 2011, the team included: Mr. Hanna Siniora and Dr. Gershon Baskin, co-CEOs Board Members: A Rabo, A Liel, A Shawwa, , F Jaber, G Salomon, G Kenny, G Golan, G Baskin, H Siniora, H Adiri, I Najjar, M Yazegi, M Naja, , N Rumman, R Benvenisti, S Khoury, G Solomon, L Habash, Staff Members: D Goldenblatt R Twite M Biemans J Hishmeh E Mahamed
co-CEO (from 12/2011) Director of Water & Environment Director of Development Financial Officer Cook and Cleaner
Look ahead and Join with us! Being faced with challenging times, IPCRI nevertheless remains committed to continue its work and to create an environment conducive to a just resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. IPCRI is uniquely bi-national organization bringing Israeli and Palestinians to meet and work together on a daily basis. IPCRI is also facing a growing and somewhat understandable frustration on the part of the Palestinians as a result of the stagnation and even regression in the realization of the Palestinians national aspirations and its manifestation. The anti-normalization campaign is making joint Israeli/Palestinian activities more difficult and challenging to execute. That being said, IPCRI has been active for nearly twenty four years. Through thick and thin, during the height of the peace process and the violent depths of the second Intifada. The fact that IPCRI has a substantial network, at the grassroots level as well as on the decision making level, and can and does, utilize this network to continue building peace, makes IPCRI's continued presence and contribution invaluable to both Israelis and Palestinians. IPCRI is constantly looking for new projects. It is known as a synergetic organization rather than a competing one. It has, and still does, support and provide capacity as well as organizational infrastructure to various initiatives on both sides of the conflict. To continue all of IPCRI's activities, IPCRI always welcomes support – be it in the form of volunteering or financial support.
Through our website: http://www.ipcri.org/IPCRI/Donate.html Contact: (+972) (0) 2 676 9460
Thank you!
Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information | 1/1/2012
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