Jerusalem

Archive of Completed Programming

Media Activities

• The Shape of the Future Documentary Series (2005)
  The Shape of the Future is a five part documentary series that portrays what an eventual Palestinian-Israeli peace settlement would look like. Produced by SFCG, the emphasis is prospective which, in itself, makes this a unique documentary effort. The core idea is to examine, in an even-handed way, the aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians and to show that agreements are possible that do not threaten the national existence of either party. [more]

• Il-Dar Dar Abuna: Palestinian Radio Drama Series (2005)
  In Partnership with MEND (Middle East Non-Violence & Democracy), a Palestinian NGO, we aired in July 2005 the third 26-part season of a dramatic radio series, Il-Dar Dar Abuna (Home Is Our Home). The series was broadcast by ten stations on the West Bank and in Gaza, and it stressed themes of non-violence and individual responsibility. Twenty-six episodes of MEND's radio soap opera Il-Dar Dar Abuna have been broadcast over two months in the summer of 2003 and was an effective means to educate the target group of 16-25 year-olds. [more]

• Common Ground Film Festival in Jerusalem (2004)
  Opening night of the first Common Ground Film Festival in Jerusalem, co-sponsored with the Jerusalem International YMCA, was a resounding success drawing a sold-out crowd of 630 people. The festival began June 22nd with the feature film "Monsieur Ibrahim" telling the story of a relationship that develops between a Muslim shopkeeper and a Jewish boy, which was then followed by a reception of Middle Eastern cuisine and live music. [more]

• Eliav-Sartawi Awards for Common Ground Journalism
  From 2000 – 2010 Search for Common Ground held annual Eliav-Sartawi Awards for Middle Eastern Journalism that recognised and encouraged journalism that contributes to better understanding between people and to maintaining political dialogue in the Middle East. This project has been superseded by a greater focus on engaging new Israeli and Palestinian writers through commissioned articles for the Common Ground News Service that contribute to constructive thinking on the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Regional Dialogues

• Madrid+15 Middle East Peace Conference
  Along with 4 other global civil society organizations, we organized the "Madrid+15" Conference that occurred between January 10-12, 2007, with great success. The meeting commemorated the 15th anniversary of the 1991 Middle East Peace Conference in Madrid and gathered influential figures from Syria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan alongside senior European and UN officials, high-powered civil society actors and representatives of the USA and Russia to reignite a regional approach to peace in the Middle East. The tone of the meeting was excellent, permitting a frank but constructive exchange on issues, considerable networking, and a decision to pursue follow up with special emphasis on the Arab League initiative. [more]
  

• Jerusalem Old City Initiative
  This initiative aims to build workable solutions on the future of the Old City by advancing practical cooperation and improving conditions on the ground through addressing the wide-ranging needs of stakeholders in the Old City. A second goal is to provoke rigorous discussion about future governance options for the Old City and to generate new possibilities and ways of thinking, through public education and advocacy.

• Regional Security Dialogue Session (2004)
  A successful dialogue which prompted the CGNews special series on the “Arab Peace Initiative”

• Middle East Chemical Risks Consortium (2004)
  Search for Common Ground founded the Middle East Chemical Risks Consortium (CRC) in 2002. The CRC is composed of Egyptian, Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian research centers that agreed to reach across political lines and cooperate to address the problem of chemical risks. It was created out of the recognition that the region is unprepared for effective collaboration in the case of a catastrophic phenomenon that could affect every country in the Middle East, and that practical cooperation in technical fields serves the dual purpose of building regional capacity and building bridges of confidence between nations. [more]
  

• Nonviolence Polls (2002)
  In 2002, Search for Common Ground commissioned two polls, which were conducted by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA) of the University of Maryland, to determine attitudes of the Palestinian and Jewish-Israeli publics on the potential for nonviolent methods in the Palestinian intifada. [more]
  

• Centre for Applied Research in Education (CARE)

• Palestinian Center for Democracy and Conflict Resolution (2005)

Other Activities

NGO Capacity-Building Handbook [more]