Best Plans for a peaceful Israel/Palestine

[Gershon Baskin]

Best Plans for a peaceful Israel/Palestine



Are there plans that the majority of the Palestinian and Israeli public would really prefer over the current situation? Help develop such plans!



Monday, November 28, 2011 12:30-20:00
Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem



Register <https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=iw&formkey=dHo1ekx6azNOX1hCV2RXZGNGTWEyN2c6MA#gid=0>

DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION NOVEMBER 18, 2011. FOR PALESTINIANS THAT NEED A PERMIT: NOVEMBER 14, 2011, 21h



The ‘two state principle’ is widely accepted as ‘the solution’ to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, yet no specific plan based on this principle has ever been accepted by the majority of Palestinians and Israelis. Recent speeches by PM Netanyahu and President Abbas indicate that even the leaders are far from agreeing on a concrete plan.



The Arab Spring has made it clear that a viable peace plan has to have popular support on both sides to effectively and legitimately contain hard-liners opposing it. Formal approval of a plan by governments alone may be legally sufficient but won’t secure long-term peace. Thus, the question becomes: “Are there specific plans that the majority of Israelis and Palestinians can come to support in a stable and sustainable manner?”



The plans presented at this event cover the range of one state solution, federations, unions and two state solutions. Israelis & Palestinians representing the full variety of political opinions, and peace skeptics in particular, are invited to participate in the workshop and constructively evaluate the plans.


Representatives of governments, NGO’s, political parties, research institutes and think tanks are especially encouraged to participate. Simultaneous translation to Arabic, Hebrew and English will be provided.



This workshop is the launch event of the BEST PLANS project (www.TheBestPlans.org <http://www.TheBestPlans.org> ). Please create an account to preview and comment on the plans to be presented in the workshop.



12.30 – 14.00

Registration + poster presentations + coffee

Each plan will be displayed on a poster; there will be opportunity to interact with the presenters about their plans.

14.00 – 14.30

Formal Opening

Doron Tzur – Co-Chair person of the Best Plans Project

Dr. Gershon Baskin – Co-Director of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information

Felix Dane – Resident Representative of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Kamal Nawash Esq – President of the Free Muslim Coalition

14.30 – 16.00

Plan presentations #1

Each plan will have 5 minutes to focus on its vision and the proposed path to realizing it.

Participants will briefly comment, evaluate each plan in a scoring form and vote on it with a raise of hands.

16.00 – 16.30

Posters + coffee break

16.30 – 18.00

Plan presentations #2

Each plan will have 5 minutes to focus on its vision and the proposed path to realizing it.

Participants will briefly comment, evaluate each plan in a scoring form and vote on it with a raise of hands.

18.00 – 18.30

Posters + coffee break & snacks + turning in the scoring forms

18.30 – 19.00

Introducing The Best Plans project (www.thebestplans.org)

Doron Tzur & Kamal Nawash

19:00 – 20.00

Announcing the results and a plenary closing discussion



About the BEST PLANS project:



The BEST PLANS project is a Crowd Sourcing project of citizens for citizens. It will present a wide uncensored variety of plans for progressing beyond the current situation to politically representative samples of Israelis and Palestinians (“customers” of the plans). Participants will democratically collaborate to evolve plans presenting an attractive vision and a practical path to realize it, in the well-considered opinion of majorities in both “mini publics”. The project will promote the evolved plans in the public, political and diplomatic arenas.



The BEST PLANS is not a classical ‘peace project’ but rather a ‘reality check’. It is a research project supported by ‘the Free Muslims Against Terrorism’ and seeking to cooperate with the widest possible coalition of organizations and individuals. The launching event, this conference, is held in cooperation with the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.

The project is conducted in a series of rounds: presenting plans, getting feedback from mini publics, and improving the plans. This enables for plans to evolve according to the real preferences of people and for people’s thinking to evolve out of considering the alternatives.

Register to www.TheBestPlans.org <http://www.TheBestPlans.org> to participate as a mini public member or in any other way.

1. Mini public members review short presentations of plans, read their briefs, evaluate them and suggest improvements.

2. Every mini public member is allocated several plans that he/she reads in full and comments on the actual text and then revises his overall evaluation of the plan.

3. Plan submitters use the feedbacks received to improve their plans, while directly communicating with mini public members as needed for further clarifications. They may also “borrow” good segments of other plans, merge with other plans or withdraw.

4. Improved plans, together with screened promising new candidates are put to another round of evaluation and improvement by larger mini publics.

5. The process continues as long as the plans continue to improve in terms of being mutually preferred over the current situation.





Mirthe Biemans



Director of Development

Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information



+972 (0)2 6769460 / +972 (0)548147626

mir...@ipcri.org

www.ipcri.org









Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail
אנא חישבו על הסביבה לפני הדפסת הדוא"ל הזה
الرجاء: فكّروا بجودة البيئة قبل طباعة هذه الرسالة الالكتروني