Jerusalem
Media Projects
Under The Same Sun
We have recently completed production on our docu-drama film Under The Same Sun, produced in Israel and the Palestinian Territory.
Under The Same Sun follows the lives of two businessmen—one Palestinian and one Israeli—as they struggle to forge a business relationship. The film focuses on how these business leaders cope with the unique political and personal challenges posed by operating in societies where there is a strong stigma against working with the “other”.
This newly envisioned and entertaining docu-drama stems from the original four-part TV documentary, Shape of the Future, that was created by Common Ground Productions (CGP) in 2005 and which focused on final status issues in a common ground way.
The film seeks to humanize the “other” for both Israeli and Palestinian audiences, and aims to dispel the belief held by many that there is no partner on the other side. Ultimately, it is grounded in the idea that for meaningful peace negotiations to resume, the two publics need a vision worth striving for, and Under the Same Sun envisages a future of peace in the region.
Funded by the European Union, the film is a co-production of CGP and Lama Films. It is due to be broadcast simultaneously on both Israeli and Palestinian TV in late 2012, and work has begun on an international version of the film.
Carmel Fire Documentary
The Carmel Fire is a documentary film being produced by the Ma'an Network and Search for Common Ground. The film tells the story of the historic cooperation that took place between firefighters of the Palestinian Civil Defense and Israel Fire and Rescue during the tragic Carmel fire in December 2010 near Haifa. The story will be told through the voices and first-hand testimony of firefighters who took part and their commanders. Firefighters from the Palestinian Civil Defense will be joined in telling the story by counterparts from Israel Fire and Rescue.
Highlighting the common humanity of individual firefighters, and the shared humanitarian interests and concerns of their institutions, the film explores the intersection of human values, national institutions and statehood – of possibilities for the future whose groundwork is being laid by the trust-building activities, capacity-development and practical cooperation of civil security institutions.
The film is due to broadcast on Ma'an by the end of the year.
Read more about SFCG's projects on Media...
Leadership Projects
Israeli-Palestinian Leadership Network
The Israeli-Palestinian Leadership Network is a multi-year initiative to build a broad-based, cross-sector network of Palestinian and Israeli leaders in the Middle East that can effect positive change in the region. Working in close partnership with the Outward Bound Center for Peacebuilding (OBCP) to ensure outstanding results, activities include outdoor wilderness expeditions, retreats and individual coaching which focus on strengthening leadership and conflict resolution skills and building deep personal relationships amongst strategically positioned emerging leaders across key sectors. With funding from the Fetzer Institute and private sources, this program addresses the distrust, tension and instability that undermine possible relationships between Israelis and Palestinians and encourages a culture of positive engagement.
The Leadership Network already comprises civil society, political and business leaders. A group of religious leaders joined the network in 2012, and returned from their outdoor wilderness expedition to Croatia in May. This network forms a strong base upon which to build lasting initiatives that aim towards a stable peace.
Health Projects
Cooperative Disease Monitoring System
 Since 2001, Search for Common Ground has facilitated cross-border health cooperation between Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Territory. The flagship of these regional efforts is the Middle East Consortium on Infectious Disease Surveillance (MECIDS), which guards against threats posed by natural disease outbreaks and biological attacks.
At its core, MECIDS is a network that enables the Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian Ministries of Health to share data about disease patterns and to coordinate swift cross-border responses in the event of an outbreak. Food-borne illnesses, avian influenza, and leishmaniasis – a disabling and disfiguring disease transmitted by sand flies – are the primary health concerns monitored by MECIDS.
June 2012 was a particularly busy month for MECIDS. Procurement of state-of-the-art laboratory equipment was finalized for laboratories in each of the three communities; MECIDS held workshops to train Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian technicians in powerful computer software used in laboratories; and a meeting was held in Jerusalem – with 25 MECIDS participants and a delegation from the World Health Organization – to discuss health regulations for ground border crossings.
With its administrative secretariat in Jerusalem and its scientific secretariat in Amman, MECIDS is able to connect and collaborate with a wide range of regional academic institutions, national centers for disease control, and health ministries. In addition, MECIDS partners with the European Union, Becton, Dickinson and Company, International Council for Life Sciences, and Epi-South-WP6.
Search for Common Ground facilitates MECIDS in close partnership with the Nuclear Threat Initiative’s (NTI) Global Health and Security Initiative. Funding for MECIDS is received from NTI and the World Bank.
Interfaith Projects
Universal Code on Holy Sites
 SFCG's Jerusalem office has partnered with three other NGOs—the Oslo Center for Peace, One World in Dialogue and Religions for Peace—to develop a universal Code on Holy Sites. After a three-year process, which included meetings amongst religious, political and civil society leaders from Europe and the Middle East, and input from senior leaders of the world's major faiths, this groundbreaking Code was completed in January 2011.
Funded by the Norwegian Government, it maps out a detailed code of conduct in relation to sacred places worldwide. With endorsement by senior religious leaders from over 15 faiths, and following a pilot implementation of the Code in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are commencing a pilot project in the Holy Land together with the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land. In addition, we are working to use the Code as a basis for a legally adopted UN resolution, which would set up a monitoring mechanism to assess the progress of countries committed to abide by it.
The Universal Code on Holy Sites is a practical document, created for religious leaders, so that they have an agreed upon way in which all holy sites can be better safeguarded for their adherents. We believe that the existence of such an agreed upon text promotes religious respect and interreligious harmony through the mutual acknowledgement that all sacred places are holy in the eyes of their followers. Preserving them with care and respect, and providing mechanisms to reduce friction around them before it erupts, will minimize conflict in the world.
Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land
The Secretariat of the Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land rents space in SFCG's Jerusalem office enabling close working relationships and synergy on projects.
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A Guide for Professional Journalism in Conflict Zones
