Alliance for Middle East Peace

Last updated
Alliance for Middle East Peace
Formation2006
FounderAvi Meyerstein
Headquarters Washington, D.C., United States
President
Avi Meyerstein
Regional director
Huda Abuarquob

The Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a group of over 100 leading non-governmental organizations working to foster reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and between Arabs and Jews in Israel and the wider region.

Contents

One of ALLMEP's proposals is an independent International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to support and encourage efforts to build peace in the region. [1] ALLMEP’s initial advocacy in Washington secured dedicated funds for these organizations within the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation of USAID. ALLMEP later widened its plan, in order to establish an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace modeled on the International Fund for Ireland which played a notable role in creating a sustainable resolution in Northern Ireland. [2]

History

ALLMEP began as an informal coalition in late 2003. The group first convened in February 2004, at the first annual Middle East coexistence conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. ALLMEP was formally incorporated in 2006. It grew from 14 organizations in 2004 to 27 in 2005 and 44 NGOs in 2007. [3]

ALLMEP has met with USAID and State Department officials, including at its event in Jerusalem in 2006 which included NGO representatives and U.S. diplomats. It also has ongoing contact with appropriate U.S. officials responsible for NGO funding. [3]

ALLMEP hosts an annual event in Washington. In June 2005, ALLMEP held a summer conference on coexistence. The event included Middle East ambassadors, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, members of Congress, State Department officials, leading pro-Israel and pro-Arab activists, Middle East NGO activists to discuss ALLMEP's agenda of coexistence. More than 250 participated, including diplomats from Tunisia, Yemen, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. [3]

The programming included a panel discussion by Egyptian Ambassador Fahmy, Jordanian Prince Firas bin Raad, Palestinian Chief Representative Hassan Abdel Rahman, Luxembourg Ambassador (during EU presidency) Arlette Conzemius-Paccoud, and former U.S. Ambassador Philip Wilcox of the Washington Middle East Institute. ALLMEP members also met with over 30 congressional offices, regarding the NGOs work on reconciliation. [3]

In March 2006, ALLMEP co-sponsored a reception and screening of a new documentary film about coexistence efforts, Encounter Point. In conjunction with this event, ALLMEP and JustVision representatives met with more than 37 congressional offices. [3]

In March 2009, the summit members of ALLMEP met with members of Congress, the Department of State, USAID, and the White House. As interest increased for the idea of the IFFIPP, the Alliance doubled its number of meetings in 2009 compared to 2008, and met with over ten percent of Congressional offices. [2]

Selected member organizations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neve Shalom</span> Village in Israel

Neve Shalom, also known as Wāħat as-Salām is a cooperative village in Israel, jointly founded by Israeli Jews and Arabs in an attempt to show that the two peoples can live side by side peacefully, as well as to conduct educational work for peace, equality and understanding between the two peoples. The village is located on one of the two Latrun hilltops overlooking the Ayalon Valley, and lies midway between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Falling under the jurisdiction of Mateh Yehuda Regional Council, in 2021 it had a population of 356.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab–Israeli peace projects</span>

Arab–Israeli peace projects are projects to promote peace and understanding between the Arab League and Israel in different spheres. These are part of a broader attempt at a peace process between Palestinians and Israelis. Sponsors of such projects can be found both in Israel and Palestine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Melchior</span>

Michael Melchior is a Jewish leader, Orthodox rabbi, thinker, and activist. He is a former Minister of Social and Diaspora Affairs, a former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, and a former member of Knesset for Meimad. He is the Rabbi of a community in Talpiyot, Jerusalem, while still holding the title of the Chief Rabbi of Norway.

New Jewish Agenda (NJA) was a multi-issue membership organization active in the United States between 1980 and 1992 and made up of about 50 local chapters. NJA's slogan was "a Jewish voice among progressives and a progressive voice among Jews." New Jewish Agenda demonstrated commitment to participatory (grassroots) democracy and civil rights for all people, especially those marginalized within the mainstream Jewish community. NJA was most controversial for its stances on the rights of Palestinians and Lesbian and Gay Jews.

The Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center is a Christian liberation theology organization based in Jerusalem. It was founded by Palestinian Anglican priest, Rev. Naim Ateek, the former Canon of St. George's Cathedral in Jerusalem.

<i>Occupation 101</i> 2006 American film

Occupation 101: Voice of the Silenced Majority is a 2006 documentary film on the Israeli–Palestinian conflict directed by Sufyan Omeish and Abdallah Omeish, and narrated by Alison Weir, founder of If Americans Knew. The film focuses on the effects of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and discusses events from the rise of Zionism to the Second Intifada and Israel's unilateral disengagement plan, presenting its perspective through dozens of interviews, questioning the nature of Israeli–American relations—in particular, the Israeli military occupation of the West Bank and Gaza, and the ethics of US monetary involvement. Occupation 101 includes interviews with mostly American and Israeli scholars, religious leaders, humanitarian workers, and NGO representatives—more than half of whom are Jewish—who are critical of the injustices and human rights abuses stemming from Israeli policy in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peres Center for Peace</span> Israeli organization for the promotion of peace and innovation.

The Peres Center for Peace, located in Jaffa, Israel, is an independent non-profit, non-governmental, and non-political organization founded in 1996 by Nobel Peace Laureate and former President of Israel Shimon Peres. Its aim is to further Peres' vision of people in the Middle East working together to build peace through socio-economic cooperation and development and people-to-people interaction.

The Alexandria Process is a process of active dialogue between religious leaders in the Holy Land to build understanding and work towards peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interfaith Encounter Association</span>

The Interfaith Encounter Association (IEA) is an Israeli-based non-profit organization. Its primary purpose is to foster dialogue between different religious groups within the Holy Land. This is done on a grassroots level throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EcoPeace Middle East</span> Organization

EcoPeace Middle East, formerly Friends of the Earth Middle East (?–2014), is a regional environmental peacebuilding organization in the Middle East, bringing together Jordanians, Palestinians, and Israelis to create shared solutions for the most water-scarce region on the planet.

The Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC) is an arm of George Mason University's Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter School for Peace and Conflict Resolution. CRDC engages in practice, education, and research concerning peace-building in conflicts where religion and culture play a significant role in a destructive conflict. CRDC specializes in entrepreneurial engagement with partners, students and supporters who share the goal of promoting emerging networks of indigenous and global peacemakers; mobilizing support for them; and forging links between such people, citizen-diplomats, and policymakers.

Mohammed Abu-Nimer is an American expert on conflict resolution and dialogue for peace. He is a full professor at the American University School of International Service in International Peace and Conflict Resolution in Washington, DC, the largest school of international relations in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arik Ascherman</span> American rabbi

Arik Ascherman is an American-born Israeli Reform rabbi, and Executive Director of the Israeli human rights organization Torat Tzedek-Torah of Justice. For 21 years, starting in 1995, he served as Co-Director (1995-1998), Executive Director (1998-2010), Director of Special Projects (2010-2012) and President and Senior Rabbi (2012-2017) for Rabbis for Human Rights, an Israeli organization.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahrain–Israel relations</span> Bilateral relations

Relations have existed between Bahrain and Israel since Bahrain achieved its independence in 1971. In recent years, relations between the two countries have been thawing, and the countries agreed to establish diplomatic relations in September 2020. The foreign minister of Bahrain Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa has been quoted saying "Israel is part of the heritage of this whole region, historically. So, the Jewish people have a place amongst us." The common threat of Iran has provided common ground for a thaw in what were once tense relations. Bahrain's foreign policy traditionally supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group</span>

The Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group is a non-violent conflict resolution group established in 1992 in San Mateo, California. Its first meeting was held in a local neighborhood residence. As of September 2019, the group remained active and continued to meet monthly in members' homes. The one-to-one, face-to-face method of conflict resolution, modeled by this dialogue group, was increasingly looked to globally by educators, researchers, journalists, activists, trainers, and strategists including the U.S. Department of State, which distributes the dialogue group's instructive films in Africa.

NGO Monitor is a right-wing non-governmental organization based in Jerusalem that reports on international NGO activity from a pro-Israel perspective.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gershon Baskin</span> Israeli columnist and political activist

Gershon Baskin is an Israeli columnist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Israel Studies (Jordan)</span> Think tank

The Center for Israel Studies in Jordan (CIS), also known as is an independent, non-profit Jordan-based Arab think tank. Established in Amman in 2014, it is dedicated to the study of Israeli politics and society. It provides a platform for scholars from all around the world to present papers and exchange opinions regarding Israel, its regional relationships and its position in the world. The center conducts policy studies and strategic analyses of political, economic and security issues throughout the greater Middle East, with a specific focus on issues concerning Arab–Israeli conflict, Israel's public policy, and the advancement of peace among the Jews and Arabs in the region. The Center for Israel studies is not affiliated with any political parties or governments. In 2015, CIS-Jordan became a member of the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yakov Nagen</span>

Yakov Meir Nagen is an Israeli rabbi and author. Nagen is a leader in interfaith dialogue and in particular interfaith peace initiatives between Judaism and Islam. He is the Director of the Blickle Institute for Interfaith Dialogue and the Beit Midrash for Judaism and Humanity. Nagen also teaches at Yeshivat Otniel and has written extensively about Jewish philosophy and Talmud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hanan Schlesinger</span>

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger, along with Ali Abu Awwad and Shaul Judelman, cofounded Roots/Shorashim/Judur, a joint Palestinian-Israeli grassroots peacemaking initiative dedicated to understanding nonviolence and transformation, where he currently remains director of international relations. An Orthodox rabbi, he also serves as the Executive Director and Community Rabbinic Scholar for the Jewish Studies Initiative of North Texas and as coordinator for Faiths in Conversation, a framework for Muslim-Jewish-Christian interfaith dialogue which he found in 2012. A biography regarding his speaking engagements writes, “In these two capacities, he (Schlesinger) teaches adult education classes on Judaism and spearheads interfaith projects throughout the greater Dallas area. He is also a member of the Rabbinical Council of America and the International Rabbinic Fellowship, as well as Beit Hillel. He is a Rabbis Without Borders Fellow, and was honored in 2013 and again in 2014 as the Memnosyne Institute Interfaith Scholar.

References

  1. 2009 ALLMEP Summit, group website.
  2. 1 2 Op-Ed: Establishing an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace Archived 2009-05-24 at the Wayback Machine , By Rabbi Michael M. Cohen, March 19, 2009, Common Ground News Service.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Overview, ALLMEP website.