George Mitchell Says Vote on Palestinian Statehood Likely
George Mitchell addressed the audience at Georgetown’s ‘Conflict to Peace’ Conference this morning in one of his first public statements about the Middle East conflict since his resignation as Special Envoy for Middle East Peace.
Mitchell (a 1998 Common Ground Award recipient) said it is unlikely that the Palestinians will be persuaded to postpone their push for greater recognition from the UN. He further added that, should the vote pass, it is likely that Israel will retaliate in some way.
The Palestinian push for statehood is set to be put before the UN General Assembly on September 20th.
SFCG President, John Marks was also featured on the Middle East Peace panel to comment on Mitchell’s statements and perspectives.
One of the themes of Mitchell’s talk was how to keep hope and optimism alive while working towards peace in the Middle East’s seemingly intractable conflict.
John Marks focused most of his response to this idea, beginning by reminding Mitchell of his own words:
“I believe there’s no such thing as a conflict that can’t be ended. They’re created and sustained by human beings. They can be ended by human beings.”
SFCG has been working toward Middle East peace since 1991 and opened a Jerusalem office in 2000. The road has rarely been easy but John shared some of his ‘best practices’ for maintaining optimism:
1. Displace gratification:
When working on the Middle East conflict, you often have to find your joy and satisfaction outside of your work or in tiny accomplishments
2. The Woody Allen Principle – “80% of success is just showing up.”
Put another way, avoid parachuting into the situation
3. On s’engage; puis on voit
A favorite saying of Napoleon’s, it translates, “First you engage, then you see.”
4. Be an applied visionary:
Big picture transformation can occur, but it often does so incrementally
5. Have a high tolerance for ambiguity
(vivainstitute.com)
SFCG President and Founder, John Marks will be featured as a panelist at Georgetown’s ‘Conflict to Peace’ conference. John Marks will be a panelist regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict. Senator George Mitchell, the former US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace will be a featured speaker on that panel. Mitchell resigned from his position in May 2011, after serving over two years to broker peace in the region.
SFCG has been working toward Middle East peace since 1991 and opened its Jerusalem office in 2000. In 2005 we created a documentary, Shape of the Future, which laid out what peace in the region could look like and how it could be achieved. The film aired in both Arabic and Hebrew and is currently available to be streamed on Netflix.
Other topics of the conference include:
- Post-Apartheid nation building in South Africa
- Th Northern Ireland peace process
- Practitioners and organizations the front lines of change
Click here for a full schedule of the event.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of 9/11, Washington’s National Cathedral is planning a weekend of compassion and hope. The weekend will have a wide array of events and opportunities for people to come together in remembrance, including an interfaith prayer vigil, a youth leadership event and a special capstone concert Sunday evening, the night of the actual anniversary. It will have music interspersed with spoken word and reflections from government officials, actors and musicians.
Humayun Khan,who performed at last year’s Common Ground Awards ceremony, will be performing at the call to compassion, on Saturday and Sunday:
The event is an opportunity for remembering, resolution and coming together. A full schedule of events can be found here.
Soldiers from Sudan's army rest after gaining control of the area, at the Blue Nile state capital al-Damazin, September 5, 2011. (Reuters/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah)
The Sudan’s continue to be plagued by unrest, both along the border and within the new state of Southern Sudan.
Last Thursday fighting broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and forces of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement (SPLM-North) in Sudan’s Blue Nile state. SAF forces allegedly opened fire on a convoy of SPLM-North forces in the state’s capital, al Damazin. Blue Nile state is part of the North but like South Kordofan (where fighting continues) lies along the new border and has strong ties to the South.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir declared a ceasefire in South Kordofan on August 23rd but cultural and historical ties between that state and Blue Nile are strong and the SPLM-North is active in both and there are fears that violence may spread to the former, despite the ceasefire.
Thousands have already fled the state and Sudan has declared a state of emergency. Blue Nile’s governor, Malik Agar, who is a chairman of the SPLM-North was dismissed from his post, and a military governor, Lt. General Yahia Mohammed Kheir, has been appointed. The city appears to be largely under SAF control but the security situation remains volatile and SPLM-North may launch a broader offensive if they are increasingly pressured to disarm. VOA’s Alsanosi Ahmed has some background on the ground.
Khartoum views SPLM-North as a new secessionist threat and South Sudan’s minister of information, Barnaba Benjamin told Al Jazeers that the southern state was ‘not giving support, material or otherwise, to South Kordofan or Blue Nile.”
The South’s own security situation is also tense.
On August 26, the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) began deployment of peacekeepers and civilian experts to Jonglei following violence in that state’s eastern region of Uror. The unrest between the Murle and Lou Nuer tribes in Uror is thought to have resulted in at least 600 deaths and injury to a further 1,000. Violence appears to have flared on August 18 when Murle tribesmen attacked Lou Nuer villages near Pieri; reports indicate that the attackers burned houses, stole cattle and abducted several minors. Similar clashes were subsequently reported in Warrap state. The South Sudanese government admitted that its current security provisions were insufficient to manage the unrest and prompted South Sudan President Salva Kiir’s announcement on August 25 that the army would be posted to the state in a bid to quell the unrest; the UNMISS operation will provide surveillance flights and additional patrols to support the South Sudanese mission.
Although the increased security force presence may reduce the incidence of violence, retaliatory killings and acts of unrest are likely to persist; tribal divisions, poor infrastructure and a lack of cohesion within the South Sudanese armed forces are exacerbating the issue of insecurity outside of the country’s main urban centers. Given continued food shortages in the region, further incidents of communal violence may loom on the horizon.
Crossing Borders with Generation Grand Lacs!
After a year hiatus Generation Grand Lacs (GGL) is back! The French program will re-launch this Saturday in Burundi, DRC and Rwanda simultaneously. An English-language program will be added in the coming months.
First launched in 2006, GGL is a regional radio program aimed at supporting cooperation and stability among young people in the Great Lakes region as well as breaking down stereotypes and encouraging Rwanda, Burundian and Congolese students to engage with and hear each other. Often they face similar challenges across the borders that divide them, but without interaction and exposure, these commonalities can be missed. GGL is broadcast weekly and hosted by a partner radio station in the region featuring current events and experts on topical issues. Listeners are invited to call in to debate, ask questions and share their opinions. The chance to hear the voices of their peers in their own and neighboring countries reveals the myth of monolithic ‘other’ and the diversity of viewpoints within one’s own society. Young people can call, send SMS or email the program with their thoughts and questions.
In the past topics have included; freedom of expression, xenophobia and the expulsion of foreigners, the influence of armed groups, manipulation by politicians, and economic challenges facing young people.
The program address these topics collaboratively and equips youth with the skills and information they need to effectively prevent and resolve conflicts.
“No passports are needed!” goes one of the program jingles. “Cross the borders with GGL every Saturday!”
The Team Documentary Readies for its US TV Premiere!
(Pat Reed)
The Team documentary which we’ve spoken of here, has completed its festival circuit and will be coming to TV’s near you. Global Voices, carried on the PBS World Channel, will broadcast the television premier of The Team, which takes viewers behind the scenes of Search’s groundbreaking soap opera series of the same name.
The documentary will air September 4th at 9:00am; 3:00pm; and 10:00pm. The show follows a group of young Kenyans in the wake of their country’s post-election violence as they struggle to overcome the ethnic and political divisions and play as a unified soccer team.
“We are hugely pleased that this documentary focuses on our work in Kenya, one of 17 countries where we are producing The Team,” said John Marks, SFCG President. “We use soap opera to promote positive social change and to change people’s lives. And we believe we are.”
The Team series is produced with local production teams in 17 countries across Africa, the Middle East and Asia to empower young people with the tools they need to address violent conflict and social strife.
In each individual series the plot centers on a fictional football team (except in Pakistan where it’s a cricket team) made up of characters who reflect the diversity of their country and its conflicts whether ethnic, religious or socio-economic. In Côte d’Ivoire, the team confronts divisions between the Muslim north and the Christian south. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the cast is all women, and they work to prevent rape. In each country, the players manage to resolve their conflicts, and they discover that the commonalities that join them are far deeper than the differences, which threaten to tear them apart.
The ethnic and political violence that followed the December 2007 elections threatened to rip Kenya apart until the international community facilitated a cease-fire. But as Kenya approaches its next general election, frank discussion about ethnic divisions and political manipulation have never been more important. The Team uses taboo themes to catalyze discussion and Search for Common Ground has worked to create environments for that dialogue via mobile theater broadcasts in remote areas without television access. The documentary captures the moving production of a show that sets out to change a nation and changes it’s cast and crew along the way.
The Team will be broadcast on September 4th at 9:00am; 3:00pm; and 10:00pm. Check local listings for the World Channel. Click here to find where it can be seen by entering your zip code for the nearest local station!
