Thursday, August 9, 2007

Co Existence in the Holyland

I am often asked about the schemes for cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians and as usual I believe these are never reported in the International media. Therefore I take the opportunity to publish details of the few of these organisations with thanks to the Israeli foreign Office for the information

The Israel / Palestinian issue is all too often portrayed solely in terms of the conflict, with little coverage of life beyond the politics. But there are many examples of groups and individuals who have taken up the challenge of fostering coexistence between all peoples in the region. They are just the tip of the iceberg, and there are many more organisations which work towards bringing people together, with the shared goal of breaking down barriers and stereotypes, and building bridges and understanding.

The Center for Jewish-Arab Economic Development (CJAED) which is a is a non-profit organisation, established in 1988 by a group of Jewish and Arab businesspeople, with the overarching belief that healthy economic development and relations, are key to peace and stability in the region.

Shemesh, the organisation for Jewish-Arab Friendship and Coexistence in the Galilee. Shemesh works to nurture understanding and respect for cultural differences, and build towards a peaceful future for all peoples.

Givat Haviva, is an institute aimed at educating for peace, democracy, coexistence and social solidarity; to resist racism and all forms of discrimination, crucial to achieving peace between Israel, the Palestinians and the Arab states.

Save A Child's Heart, which provides urgently needed pediatric heart surgery and follow-up care for children from around the world, regardless of race or religion.

The Abraham Fund initiatives work to advance coexistence, equality and cooperation among Israel’s Jewish and Arab citizens by creating and operating large-scale initiatives, cultivating strategic grassroots projects and conducting public education and advocacy that promote its vision of shared citizenship and opportunity for all of Israel’s citizens. Typical programs are
Coexistence Network- A national network of organizations that address Arab-Jewish relations
Police-Community- efforts to improve police - Arab communities relations
Government Training & Advocacy- equal opportunities for Israel's Arab citizens

The Network of Organizations For Jewish-Arab Coexistence In Israel . Its mission is in recognizing the profound need to deepen and develop links between Arabs and Jews in Israel, as well as the immediate necessity to create an equal, pluralistic, just and fair society for all of the country’s citizens, both Jews and Arabs, the Network of Organizations for Jewish-Arab Coexistence in Israel was established.

Peaceworks is a not-only-for-profit company. We have proven that we can build and sustain a profitable company AND do a little good in the world.
Together with people striving to co-exist, we create and deliver unique and exciting specialty foods- only the freshest ingredients, always all-natural, always delicious.
PeaceWorks currently does business with Israelis, Palestinians, Egyptians, South Africans, Turks, Indonesians and Sri Lankans.

Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam is a cooperative village of Jews and Palestinian Arabs of Israeli citizenship. The village is situated equidistant from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv-Jaffa.

Neve Shalom - Wahat al-Salam gives practical expression to its vision of an egalitarian society through pioneering educational work at
The School for Peace, Children’s Educational System and Pluralistic Spiritual Centre. Besides its educational work, NSWAS and its members also conduct other projects such as Humanitarian aid program. Occasionally, summer programs are offered for overseas guests.

Shevet Achim was founded in 1994 with the purpose of helping non-Israeli children receive lifesaving medical care in Israel. Our name is taken from the Hebrew of Psalm 133, which promises that unity between brothers leads to life; we believe this to be true of the troubled relationship between Isaac and Ishmael (Jews and Muslims) in the Middle East.

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