MEPEACE Chat - December 18

Event link: http://mepeace.org/events/mepeace-chat-december-18

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS WORKSHOP WAS INITIALLY SCHEDULED FOR NOVEMBER 20, AND HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED FOR SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18

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You are cordially invited to take part in the third and last of three workshops in our Chat Workshop series 'After September - The Prospects of Palestine'. The workshop will begin on Sunday, December 18 at 20.00 Jerusalem time in the MEPEACE Chat.

In the Middle East, turbulent weeks and months lie behind us. The Arab Spring took us by surprise, and, even without being an accomplished process yet, has already changed realities in the region. Some weeks ago, in New York - some may regard it as having a direct connection to the mentioned upheavals in the Arab world - Mahmoud Abbas handed a paper to UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon. With this paper, Abbas, on behalf of his people, asked the United Nations for official recognition of the Palestinian state.

What was this? What significance has the September UN General Assembly gathering? A milestone, or a mere footnote? Or something inbetween?

In the first workshop in this series we've discussed (see also our full transcript of this lively workshop) the significance of the UN speeches, held by the president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, and the Israeli prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, respectively. Then, in the second workshop, we had a close look at some very recent events that have influenced the political and social environment of the Middle East (full transcript). This time, in our third workshop, titled 'Striving for balance - How mepeace.org can help to build a peaceful future for Israel AND Palestine', we will discuss what our role as peacemakers on mepeace.org in this new unstable situation can and must be. We will discuss why balance is necessary for peace. Furthermore, let's analyze what each of us can do here to create a future in peace.

The leading questions are:

Why is it so hard to evaluate political/social events in the Middle East in a balanced way?

How can we - as peacemakers on mepeace.org - build a discussion environment that takes into account the hopes, fears and worries of all involved parties?

What are the main challenges for mepeace.org in this new, unstable environment, shaped by the still uncertain outcomes of the 'Arab Spring' and other factors?

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Please note that the event will start on Sunday, December 18 at 20.00 Jerusalem time, in the MEPEACE Chat.

If you have any questions regarding the event, please don't hesitate to contact us at dialogue@mepeace.org.

We are looking forward to your participation!

The MEPEACE Team