A delegation from the Middle-East visits Northern Ireland this week to pave the way for a peace support project that will draw on shared experience of the regions’ troubled communities.

The joint Israeli-Palestinian group, invited by INCORE the international conflict research centre, and Intercomm - the North Belfast community development group - will hold discussions with academics, policy-makers and practitioners on establishing a “Belfast-Jerusalem” peace-building project.

An INCORE spokesperson said the talks will focus on common issues and challenges of division confronting the city of Jerusalem and communities in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland.

“The death of Yasser Arafat has perhaps provided a new opportunity to revive the long dormant Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to put an end to the cycle of violence that has undermined attempts to build progress,” said INCORE director Professor Gillian Robinson.

“This cross-cultural project is designed to complement those expected new efforts and we hope it will help transform everyday life for people whose voices are seldom heard, those who live far from the conference table and away from public gaze.”

The visitors comprise two Palestinians and two Israelis. The Palestinians are Dr Yaser Abu Khater, Professor of Law at Al-Quds University, Jerusalem and Walid Salem, Director of Panorama, a Jerusalem-based non-governmental organisation (NGO). The Israelis, members of Jerusalem-based Ir Amim, a group composed mainly of academics committed to fostering democratic values, are its director Amos Gil and Eetta Prince.

The trip is part of INCORE’s Local International Learning Project (LILP), which promotes collaboration and a sharing of experience between Northern Ireland and international policy-makers and practitioners on a range of peace and reconciliation issues.

 Helen Lewis, LILP Project Co-ordinator said: “We hope to set up an initiative that will involve experts from a variety of backgrounds in Northern Ireland, Israel and Palestine.  These experts will address common issues and challenges, for example, the effects of physical boundaries like walls and peacelines on communities.”

The visit follows an exploratory trip to Jerusalem and the West Bank in October by Helen Lewis and Magee Provost, Professor Tom Fraser, who is an INCORE associate. With Intercomm executive director Liam Maskey and board director Jack O’Connor, they met local non-governmental organisations and other civilian cross-community activists and took part in a conference on the histories of Ireland and Palestine.

“The delegation is keen to learn about Northern Ireland’s relative success in peace-making and peace-building,” Lewis said.  “They are particularly interested in the strength of civil society in Northern Ireland that gives communities a role in decision-making and access to decision-makers. Long-term polarisation in the Middle-east has resulted in a community void. Cities and towns do not have the well-established and influential voluntary and community sector that we have here.”

INCORE is the central co-ordinating body for peace and conflict research and activity across the University of Ulster.

Intercomm is an inter-community organisation specialising in economic regeneration, social reconstruction and local and international peace-building practices.

For further information, please contact:

David Young
Telephone: 028 90366074
Email: David Young