Middle East
Provides articles discussing restorative justice advancements in the Middle East. Articles appear in the order in which they were added to the site with the most recent appearing first.
- Maoz, Ifat. "An Experiment in Peace: Reconciliation-Aimed Workshops of Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian Youth"
- The goal of the present study is to examine workshops of Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian youth conducted in the post-Oslo era with the aim of promoting reconciliation and peacebuilding between the sides. The workshops were organized by an Israeli–Palestinian organization, in the framework of a peace education project. In these workshops, youth from pairs of Israeli and Palestinian high schools met for two days to discuss social, cultural and political topics. Each workshop included approximately 20 youths from each side that were led jointly by a Jewish-Israeli and a Palestinian group facilitator. The study examines four facets of these dialogue events, using both quantitative and qualitative research methods: (1) structure of activities and practices of transformative dialogue used in the encounter events; (2) attitudes and mutual stereotypes held by youth from both sides prior to the beginning of the workshops; (3) mutual perceptions and attitudes expressed by participants during the encounter; (4) effects of participation in the workshops on stereotypes held by the Jewish-Israeli and Palestinian youth (pre–post comparisons). "Author's Abstract"
- Bargal, David. "Structure and Process in Reconciliation-Transformation Workshops: Encounters Between Israeli and Palestinian Youth"
- This article presents a detailed blueprint for conducting reconciliation-transformation workshops among Jewish and Palestinian youth. The workshops are based on interventions that deal with intragroup and intergroup dynamics. Conflict management workshops, which at one time utilized small group interventions to create a bridge between two conflicting parties, are no longer effective. The recent escalation of the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians has resulted in a vicious cycle of deaths and casualties on both sides. Thus, in the attempt to generate a dialogue between the two groups, reconciliation-transformation measures should be used as a means of reducing the cognitive distortions, anger, hostility, fear, grief, victimization, and humiliation that have developed. The workshop structure and process proposed in the article reflect the ideal design based on interdisciplinary knowledge and experience gained from efforts to build peace in other conflictual contexts such as those of South Africa and South America. (author's abstract)
- SHIKAKI, KHALIL and SHAMIR, JACOB. "Determinants of Reconciliation and Compromise Among Israelis and Palestinians"
- This joint Palestinian–Israeli study stresses the importance of public opinion in reconciliation processes. It was conducted in the wake of the Arafat–Barak Camp David summit and intended to set up a baseline for sentiments of compromise and reconciliation among Israelis and Palestinians at the peak of the Palestinian–Israeli peace process. The study is based on surveys of representative samples of the Israeli adult population (n = 525) and the Palestinian adult population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem (n = 1,259). It focuses on the role of expectations for lasting peace and democracy in shaping attitudes towards reconciliation and political compromise. Both publics felt that there is no room for further compromise on the most critical issues of the conflict; the majority in both samples believed that their delegations have made too much of a compromise already. A reliable reconciliation scale was devised from a range of steps listed in the reconciliation literature as prerequisites for successful reconciliation following protracted conflicts. Palestinians overwhelmingly supported reconciliation steps, which promise normalization and a chance for economic well-being. They were more reluctant to support steps towards political alliance and ethos-transforming steps. Israelis’ support for all reconciliation measures except for open borders was noticeably higher. Expectations were found to account for reconciliation and compromise sentiments beyond demographic and political-orientation variables for both the Israeli and Palestinian samples.
- Liviatan, Ido and Nadler, Arie. "Intergroup Reconciliation: Effects of Adversary's Expressions of Empathy, Responsibility, and Recipients' Trust"
- The present study explores the effects of expressions of empathy for the ingroup’s conflict-related suffering and assumed responsibility for causing it by a representative of the rival outgroup on recipient’s willingness for reconciliation. It is suggested that such positive expressions by an adversary will have positive effects on reconciliation only in the presence of a basic level of trust in the outgroup. In two studies, Israeli-Jewish participants were exposed to a Palestinian leader who either expressed or did not express empathy and/or Palestinian responsibility for Israelis’ suffering. After reading the speech, participants completed a questionnaire that measured their attitudes toward reconciliation with Palestinians. Results of both studies show that whereas expression of empathy led to more positive attitudes when trust was high, it tended to have adverse effects when trust was low. Similar effects were not found for assumed responsibility. Implications for research on intergroup conflict and reconciliation are discussed.
- Bloch-Jørgensen, Kasper and Vinggaard, Mette and Jensen, Stine Vejlby and Bloch-Jørgensen, Kasper. Achieving Reconciliation in Lebanon?
- We wish to examine what the government in Lebanon is doing to achieve reconciliation and national unity between the war-torn populace. Reconciliation and national unity have two different meanings and we see the first as a tool or prerequisite for the second. We want to find out what has been done by the government and what the preliminary effects have been. Furthermore, we find it important to look at the challenges in this process and the possible obstacles to achieving reconciliation and national unity. In addition to this, we will address the society and its role in the process. This seems important, as it may serve as an indicator on which initiatives should be initiated in Lebanon today, and how the contemporary initiatives are working. We argue that if the government programmes are to work, there needs to be a wish and a will coming from the society below. (excerpt)
