Culture of Peace Initiative

Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information is a joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of “two-states for two peoples” solution. IPCRI recognizes the “two-states for two peoples” solution as the ultimate fulfillment of the national strategic and security interests of the two peoples. IPCRI therefore recognizes the rights of the Jewish people and the Palestinian people to fulfill their national interests within the framework of achieving national self-determination within their own states and by establishing peaceful relations between two democratic states living side-by-side.

IPCRI seeks to serve as an intellectual platform for Israelis and Palestinians (and others) to create and develop new concepts and ideas that enrich the political and public discourse in order to influence decision makers and to challenge the current political reality with the aim of advancing the political solution of two-states for two-peoples.

IPCRI was launched in 1988 in order to promote dialogue at various levels between the Israeli and Palestinian civil societies. As such it is one of the oldest of the bridge-building initiatives and also one of the very few to survive the onslaught of the Al Aqsa intifada and its associated restrictions placed by both parties on dialogue. IPCRI was founded on the principle that it should be a joint partnership between Israeli and Palestinian intellectuals, academics, professionals, politicians, and others, reflecting a conviction that peace-making and peace-building must similarly be joint and bi-partisan efforts (assisted by the international community).

IPCRI, with its active information activities and joint Israeli-Palestinian forums, is unique in that it is the only Israeli-Palestinian joint public policy think-tank and "do-tank" in the region. From the start it was based on what was then, and still is, a unique premise: IPCRI should be a truly joint Israeli-Palestinian organization with its governance and management built on co-leadership. Consequently it was set up with a Board having two co-chairmen and a management with two Co-CEOs. In spite of the obvious complications inherent in this system it has been maintained throughout IPCRI’s existence.

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IPCRI deals with the cardinal issues in the Israeli-Arab conflict - issues where the two sides find themselves at loggerheads, and where cooperation is necessary.

We concern ourselves with all the major stumbling blocks that divide Israelis and Palestinians:

• What is the nature of the final status agreement that the two sides must reach - two states, confederal and power-sharing arrangements, links with Jordan etc.
• Where should the borders between the two entities be drawn?
• How to solve the intractable question of Jerusalem, the Holy City claimed by two nations and three monotheistic religions?
• What should happen to Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip?
• How to guarantee the physical security of Israeli and Palestinian citizens against violence perpetrated by extremist opponents of the peace process on both sides?
• How to stimulate the economic development of the Palestinian territories in a way beneficial to both sides?
• How to solve the dearth of domestic, agricultural and industrial water for in our area?
• How to protect our vulnerable environment?
• How to educate two traumatized nations toward peaceful coexistence?

IPCRI's approach is both head-on and hands-on:

• confront the issues
• propose a variety of alternative solutions
• forward these to the responsible quarters
• stimulate their discussion both among experts and among the public

We believe that the dilemmas must be agressively confronted and not postponed. IPCRI concentrates both on process and final outcome. IPCRI is not itself committed to any specific outcome; we do prefer solutions entailing equality between parties, cooperation, reciprocity of obligations and benefits - in a word, solutions that move the peace process as a whole forward.