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<DIV><SPAN class=900452212-15062002><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2>Avner</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=900452212-15062002><FONT color=#0000ff size=2>this is very
important and beautifully written</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=900452212-15062002><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2>Thanks</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><SPAN class=900452212-15062002><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2>Tova</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Tahoma
size=2>-----Original Message-----<BR><B>From:</B> OSLIST
[mailto:OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]<B>On Behalf Of
</B>AVNERH<BR><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, June 13, 2002 1:15 AM<BR><B>To:</B>
OSLIST@LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU<BR><B>Subject:</B> Palestinians and Israelis in
Rome - long<BR><BR></FONT></DIV><FONT face="Courier New" size=2>
<P dir=rtl align=left><FONT face=Arial>Dear list</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>I would like to use our experience in Rome for sharing
some learnings (in addition to Harisson`s)about using open space in
extreme situations of conflict. </P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>First I would like to use this opportunity to thank
Harisson for the great work that he has done in Rome, being completely
neutral, caring to people and sensitive to the tides, gliding with the
energies and enable the participants to be fully and genuinly there. Starting
the 3rd day with closure that enable people to work through what happened
to them in the last 2 days was briliant. It freed the energies of the
people to use all the afternoon, evening and some of the day after to
take full responsibility and to plan very significant projects.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Preparing the meeting was extremely complicated and took
so much energies from many people. I will try to give a simplified taste and
learnings from it.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Sponsorship: The initiator was an Italian NGO
manager(Nicoletta from Dionysia international center) that together with the
Italian foreign ministry were interested in bringing 20 Israelis and
Palestinians on the issue of forgivness. A local sponsor- Daniel Kropf
(an Italian buisnessman)who participated in our training was added later and
offered the open space. He enabled to enlarge the number to 50 because he
trusted that OS can create intimacy with larger numbers of people.The topic
was changed to building trust because we are not yet in a position of forgive
- we still shoot.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Building the groups: This process took more than 2
months with a lot of pulling and pushing from all sides. On the Israelis the
trend was to bring people you know and only in the last week we managed
to enlarge significantly the variety to represent almost all sectors of
society. On the Palestinian side there were different groups beccause the
Italian initiator invited one Palestinian leader to choose the rest
of the group and the local sponsor chose another. It took them some time
(and crisis) to create a joint list of participants. The groups
consisted from people from the buisness sector, writers and media, public
figures, education, government officials, university and
facilitators.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Facilitators: At the beginning Tova and myself were
invited. Then we thought to bring Carol, an Israeli Palestinian (that took the
OS training this year) to work with us to create a balance, but she was not
accepted by some of the Palestinians, without knowing her, because she is not
a `real` Palestinian. We decided to go abroad and hesitated between non
jews Americans and Europeans (Europeans are perceived by Palestinians as more
neutral than Americans). Harisson recomended on Michael
Pannwitz but since he couldn`t come Harisson changed his plans and
came.It was decided that together with a `real` untrained Palestinian woman we
will assist Harisson as natives to keep the space open. Tova and Carol came as
participants.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Steering comity: It was a real Chaos, we never met all
of them to work together. Some we didn`t see at all because they could
not get out of their city.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>The day before: We wondered if and how much
preparation/training the people need before they start. At the end Nada,
a Serbian woman and the expert (to my taste)in non violent
comunication (Marshal Rosenberg) gave us only 1 hour of participative
lesson on needs: The existence of honorable and valued need behind
all manifestations of anger and hostility and the benefits in acknowledge
that. She drew a lot on her experiences in working with
childeren and adults during and after the war in Yeguslavia. Nada participated
in the OS, and the people found that what they learned from her
as very meaningfull.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>The press: The group decided not to cover the meetings
in order to ensure free speach.A press conference was schedueled to the
end with the intention that the group will decide what to say. They decided
not to tell who was there and what were the issues. The reasons were the fear
of sabotage and refraining to reduce the experience to words.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial>There were many incidents of the cruel
reality along the meeting, as invading twice to the home city of some of
the Palestinians participants, and killing of Israeli citizens. Finally
as an illustration that on coming back to Israel/Palestine Israeli
members of the group arranged from Rome a military escort
to accompany some of their Palestinians new friends to
their homes (in the middle of a combat there), and also brought back
to jerusalem family members of another friend.</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>Summary: The event was a big sucess to compare with
other Israeli-Palestinians meetings which are usually (so I heard) very much
in control of exact planning who, what, when. The group
decided not to reveal so the only thing I can say is that it was the first
time that the Palestinians met not only the humanistic left but almost
all the dimensions of Israeli society.For many Israelis it was the first time
to meet and talk with Palestinians. This brought to much deeper levels of
mutual understandings and friendships, and freed a lot of energies
to actualize meaningfull passions that can make a difference. </P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>I came back with a heavy burden of responsibility.It
seems that someone turned on the light at the end of the tunnel.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left>It is long but I hope it is usefull.</P>
<P dir=ltr align=left> </P>
<P dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial>Avner Haramati</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial>Jerusalem</FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr align=left><FONT face=Arial><A
href="mailto:avner@oganim.com">avner@oganim.com</A></FONT></P>
<P dir=ltr align=left> </P>
<P dir=ltr align=left> </P>
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