The Roles of Participatory-Action

in Lessening the Fight of Control andin Answering Human Needs

Examples of Win – Lose in Palestinian and Israeli Relations

During Israeli-Palestinian NegotiationsFight over ownership & control over resources What underlies is a dynamic of fear of losing one's rights in the face of accepting the rights of others. Fact making Occupation Bargaining Distrust- A Win-Lose Approach towards offers

A New Language For Community Leaders

Examples of Win – Lose in Palestinian and Israeli Relations

• Within Israel• Israel’s handling of the Palestinians living within Israel• Top Down decision making neglecting minority needs • Little knowledge regarding cycle of violence• Little government funding allocating to Palestinian

population within Israel • a win-lose approach towards shared societies

Article 15 of the UN Commission on Human Rights

• The Convention on National Minorities provides that: • “The Parties shall create the conditions necessary for

the effective participation of persons belonging to national minorities in cultural, social and economic life and in public affairs, in particular those affecting them”.

• No particular mechanism is envisaged”. • At the moment, the public has little influence on

decisions enacted.

The Study onCitizen Participation in

Decision Making: Is It Worth the Effort?

• Renee A Irvin; John Stansbury Public Administration Review; Jan/Feb

2004; 64, 1; ABI/INFORM Global

Why/When not to use Participatory Action?

• When the public trusts the governments• The government has had prior success in

implementing policy without citizen participation

• If the decisions of the group are likely to be the same decisions produced by the government entity.

Why to use Participatory Action?

Advantages for the people:Regarding the decision process: • Opportunity to influence • To Educate and inform governments• To Persuade and enlighten governmentsRegarding outcomes:• To Break gridlock, achieve outcomes, • gain some control over policy process, • better policy and implementation of decisions

Examples on Participatory Models

• Top Down- The Cyprus Constitution- representation of Greek and Turkish publics

• Middle-community leaders - Porto Alegre, Brazil • Middle- Hampshire’s Interfaith Local Area

Agreement • Australia - diverse Ethnic Community Committees• Numerous success stories around Environmental

issues • Federation System

In Relation to the Political Sphere

• After Two State Solution – a Jerusalem Shared Entity which will be in contact and relation with both Palestinian and Israeli Governments

• Before Two State Solution- which will begin to set the framework, ground rules and practices. It will also serve to provide inspiration and trust.

3 conditions of Participatory Win-Win Action

Mechanism/Platform for Local Participation

Shared-Interest Projects: •Development

•Economy•Environment

•Sustainable Security

Effective Communication-Skills During Process

Conflict Resolution SkillsWin –Win Understandings

Shared Committee

Community Development

Power of Intermediaries

Sheikh Jarah..representatives

Armenian-Christians

Nahlaot Conservative

Jews

Ethiopian JewsLeaders

Gypsy Leaders

German Colony Jews/Reform

Palestinian governmentIsraeli government

Beit Zafafa-Muslims

Secular human rights NGO

WWJ Target Groups:

1) Supporting and Empowering the Palestinian Communities in East of Jerusalem

2) Helping transform the mindset of the Israeli mainstream/stakeholders/ settlers-

The shift from Win-Lose to Win-Win

WWJ Recommendations: What could our next steps be?

• Training Inclusive, Win-Win Leaders from a wide range of players/communities

• Developing models for Community Participation within Israel + models for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations

• Introducing concepts of Win -Win Neighborhoods• Reaching a wide consensus regarding the ground-rules

– as Walid Salem and Edi Kaufman noted• Campaigns displaying the benefits of a Sustainable Shared Society targeting mainstream public and power-holders

WWJ Recommendations :• Jerusalem as a Multi-Ethnic/International Shared

Entity• Lobbying for Departments for Conflict Resolution and

Sustainable Societies within both governments –experts taking part in cabinet decisions

• Awareness building on Shared Interests: such as economic development through multicultural tourism, sustainable security, environment, education for democracy on both sides, cultural value of pluralism

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A New Language For Community Leaders