I. Introductory Remarks Salim Nasr, Ford Foundation Program Officer of the Middle East and North Africa, Cairo Office, discussed the purpose of this workshop: 1) to help everyone get a general overview of the field by discussing needs and priorities; 2) to learn more about the research infrastructure in Palestine; 3) to raise issues of training the next generation; and 4) to network, exchange information and ideas, and to collaborate with each other. Humphrey Davies, Ford Foundation Acting Representative for the Middle East and North Africa, Cairo Office, said that the Ford Foundation saw its role in this workshop as providing a forum and space for useful discussion and contacts.

II. Brief Introduction of the Participants Each participant introduced themselves and described their work and interests.

III. Session on the Presentation of the Centers and Institutions Participants from four centers presented their activities, current status and future programs. The other four were postponed because of lack of time to be included in the presentations of Day 2

1. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, PASSIA, Jerusalem. Presentation: Dr. Abdul Hadi opened by describing his experience in founding organizations in the OPT. He discussed the goals of PASSIA, the founders, the administrative structure, and its activities -- roundtable meetings, research studies, the PASSIA Diary, and the training seminars. Some of the problems faced by PASSIA are the level of the research and the effort it takes to work with the scholar to emerge with a study of quality and value and the unwillingness of academics to leave university jobs because of the lack of job security in tying themselves to research institutions. For the future, PASSIA plans to focus on strengthening it training programs in international relations, and this year has set up another Strategic Studies Seminar in coordination with RUSI, funded by the Ford Foundation. Discussion: Dr. Abu Shokor praised PASSIA's work in the area of publication of academic studies and the diary and suggested the possibility of holding PASSIA meetings in other locations throughout the West Bank and Gaza, perhaps in conjunction with the universities, because of the difficulties for most in reaching Jerusalem. He also suggested if PASSIA could set up a library of the publications it lists in its bibliography on the Palestinian economy.

2. Suad Amari, Riwaq - Centre for Architectural Conservation, Ramallah.

Presentation: Dr. Amari stressed that the issue of architectural conservation is intimately tied to development. Not only does it make more sense to restore than to destroy and rebuild, but also the touristic value of an area is vastly increased by the presence of restored historic buildings (as evidenced by the success of the American Colony). Riwaq's concern at this point, after the Oslo agreement, is to stress the need for comprehensive planning -- integrating and connecting infrastructure, tourism, and planning to the environment and heritage. In this sense, there should be an examination of why money will be distributed for building new buildings, and why not the renovation of old buildings, such as those in the old city of Jerusalem and Nablus and Khalil. Riwaq's work, through the employees and a group called "Friends of Riwaq", concentrates on registering buildings and areas, making cultural/historic maps, and emphasizing the role of conservation in development, tourism, housing, legislation, planning, employment opportunities, and the environment. Riwaq cooperates with the technical committees in these areas. Discussion: Part of the discussion revolved around the importance of the work of Riwaq and suggestions for community initiated projects with the help of UNESCO, and in learning from the experiences of Egypt, Beirut, and Morocco in restoring/planning issues.

3. Islah Gad, Shu'un al-Mar'a, Nablus, and Bir Zeit University Women's Studies Program.

Presentation: Ms. Gad focused her presentation on the new Women's Studies Program at Bir Zeit University and its goals. The goals of the program are to develop the feminist curriculum in studies of Palestinian society, training new generations, and raising the level of researchers and research. This work will take place on many different fronts -- conferences, research, publishing in newspapers and magazines, training sessions. In terms of courses at the University, they will deal with a variety of issues, including Arab women, women in Palestine, feminism, and women and development. The Program would also like to focus upon coordination with the Arab world and the Third World. They are currently involved in a project of looking at the social construction of women in various magazines and how to develop and change it. Discussion: The discussion focused on issues of the need to integrate women into research and studies and not place them on the side as "the role of women". In this context the subject was raised of current research, agendas and theories, both local and international, and if they were sufficient. In addition, the seminars held by the Women's Studies Center for women participants only were criticized as it was the men who needed educating and therefore it should be open to them. The response that the seminars were held under tense conditions and that these were important opportunities for women to discuss issues in a non-threatening environment and for self-empowerment, removed from the hegemony of men.

4. Mustapha Hamarneh, Center for Strategic Studies (CSS), University of Jordan, Amman.

Presentation: Dr. Hamarneh discussed the CSS as a special study center at the University of Jordan. It focuses its efforts in the social sciences and distances itself from political activism and statements. He mentioned the history of the CSS and various problems and discussed the changes which have taken it to where it is now, concentrating, among other things, on economics, demography, democracy studies, women, and Jordanian-Palestinian relations. There are currently three units within the CSS: the Opinion Poll Unit, the Economic Policy Unit, and the Israeli Studies Unit, and a fourth Unit for Social Policy is currently being planned. Discussion: Much of the discussion focused on the relationship between the Jordanian government and the CSS. Hamarneh emphasized that there was no interference by the government or the university (except in appointing staff), and although self-censorship exists, the fear is from the press and not from the government intelligence apparatus. The relationship between the CSS and the government is not like that of the Truman Institute with the Israeli government, because the Jordanian government does not want such a relationship. Another part of the discussion emphasized the need for joint projects and studies -- about economics, social policy, politics -- between Jordan and Palestine and the importance of learning from each other and looking towards the future. Dr. Hamarneh stressed the importance of building relations and generating studies on this subject given that the dichotomy of Jordan (Palestinians / Jordanians) is the number one problem facing Jordan, economically and politically.

IV. Session on the State of Social Science Research in Palestine - An Overview. Paper presented by Salim Tamari. Presentation: Dr. Tamari discussed current problems of social science research inside Palestine under the following headings: Institutional Setup; The Problem of Palestinian Exceptionalism; Methodological Problems and Access to Data; Survey Research; The Limitations of Quantitative Surveys in Palestine; Commissioned Research and Packaged Research; New Challenges: State Formation and Future Research Tasks; Networking and Electronic Data Communication; Social Science Periodicals and Bibliographies. Discussion: Out of the presentation and discussions a number of issues emerged. First, the issue of "quality control", as an institutional matter but more as a structural framework, needs to be given importance in institutions. Similarly, the issue of who determines the quality of the research needs to be addressed. Standards must be applied to scholars and educators. Standards of judgement should be internationalized and the sense of critical audience at home should be heightened Second, the issue of institutions in terms of lack of coordination and funding was discussed as was the lack of the "teamwork" concept of work. Also, the lack of sufficiently trained staff to enrich and carry an organization was mentioned. Third, academic issues such as the applicability of paradigms - for example, civil society - to the situation and the need for an attempt to build a local sociology and local paradigms. Attempts should be made to get away from the mechanical usage of paradigms and to use paradigms developed in the Third World. In this sense, Palestinian exceptionalism has damaged their ability to use conceptual theories that would be of relevance to them. Fourth, the integration of Palestinians outside with the inside has caused many to fear a political machine coming in from outside. What sort of restructuring and participation will ensure attract all types of Palestinians and get them involved? Fifth, the need for many different kinds of studies - for example, sociological and psychological effects of the peace and the peace process, the relationship between people and authority - which should play an important role in helping decision makers and not be for self-fulfillment. Sixth, issues of the low levels of training in the social sciences at local universities where they obtain only a literacy degree and do not learn a craft.

V. Session on Research on International Affairs and Security Issues Presentations by Mahdi Abdul Hadi, PASSIA; Yezid Sayigh, Oxford University; and Khalil Shiqaqi, Center for Palestine Research and Studies. Presentations: Mahdi Abdul Hadi discussed the activities of PASSIA in these two fields, in particular the Seminar on Strategic Studies and Security. He stressed the lack of Palestinian scholars in this area and the need to work to build up the field and public opinion about it. Yezid Sayigh mentioned the difference in the field of international affairs between the Third World, where little importance is given to it despite the high level of politicization of the people, and the Western world where there is a lot of interest and money to fund research, etc. In training programs, such as the one at PASSIA, he emphasized the importance of providing a lateral, multifaceted understanding and a self-critical learning process. These concepts are also applicable also to institutions where in addition, there should be balance between the Palestinian and international dimensions, and consideration given to the types of partners and partnerships and the subjects of study and research. The dissemination of information is especially important and must be of a high level, conforming with certain standards of quality control. Khalil Shiqaqi began his presentation with a question: why are there no Palestinian studies about strategic issues and security and why should there be? There are no studies for, among others, the following reasons. 1) Palestinians are in a constant state of flux combined with the lack of a Palestinian vision and objectives, although this situation will change with the existence of a state. 2) Lack of serious training in the field. In trying to address these missing elements, Dr. Shiqaqi mentioned the need of there to be training for scholars in conceptual analysis using methodologies such as game theories and system analysis. There should be Palestinian strategic studies because if there is no attempt to address these missing elements then there will be a complete absence of Palestinian security views and needs from the arena. The current discourse has excluded Palestinians and everything is concentrated on the security concerns of Israel. Palestinian security ties to the Arab world are very important because if something happens in Amman, for example, it will affect the Palestinians. Discussion: The short discussion focused on two issues. First, the need to provide training and funding to young scholars so that they will commit to the subject and opening the field up to the non-English speaking areas in order to build public opinion. Second, that issues of threat perception in strategic and security studies are often tied to military security issues, but Palestinians will not be allowed to have weapons for a long time. Food security and other issues are also a dimension of security studies which should be addressed.

Day Two: 6th May 1994

VI. Session on the Logistics of Social Science Research Presentations by Abdel Fattah Abu Shokor, Salim Tamari, Ashraf the Egyptian Engineer. Presentations: Abdel Fattah Abu Shokor discussed the lack of information - bibliographies, data banks, statistics - and the lack of coordination and cooperation in research. He stressed the lack of funding for information and statistic collection, and that many rely on Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics for numbers because there is no other information. The Palestine Bureau of Statistics has not published anything and is suffering from financial problems. In terms of documentation, there are some centers in some of the universities but the University of Jordan has the best collection. Salim Tamari mentioned that many of these issues are tied up with the process of state building. The technical problems in terms of survey research, standard measures, lack of population frames and others are part of this. The FAFO research and study was one of the few comprehensive studies of Palestinian society. Discussion: The following issues were discussed. One, universities and research - many universities and institutions do not have the capabilities to follow through completely with research studies, professors do not get lighter class teaching loads when doing a research project, lack of coordination between universities in library materials and about research, the need to ensure the publication of research studies. Two, the lack of women as a part of the research in the semi-governmental institutions such as PECDAR and PBS. There must be people in these institutions who will ensure that women appear in the studies and research (this was one of the successes of the FAFO study). Three, the complete absence of Gaza from the larger picture and any efforts to cooperate with it. There must be efforts to invest in Gazan institutions. Four, a suggestion was raised about trying to coordinate and create a complementariness between the government, universities, and centers to provide, coordinate and organize information. (For example, a Geographic Information System of maps for planners which could be used by all.) Presentation: This presentation by an Egyptian engineer outlined his experience with al-Ahram Center in Cairo in setting up an information document computer archive. The documents are entered into the computer by scanning them into a file, where they must be rechecked to ensure the accuracy of the reading of the text. The program is called OCR (Optical Character Recognition) and reads both Latin and Arabic characters. A retrieval system must be established with indexes, etc., otherwise the information loses its value. Then the networking system is set up (which is large and needs sophisticated equipment) so that people from all over can access the information from their computers. Discussion: The participants expressed the need for a workshop to introduce this use of technology to institutions and individual researchers. Such a workshop for Egyptian institutions will be held by the Ford Foundation in the second week of May 1994.

VII. Summary on Research on Governance and State Building Issues Presentations by Iyad al-Barghouti, Suad al-Amari, and Khalil al-Shiqaqi. Presentations: Iyad al-Barghouthi discussed two different kinds of researchers -- those tied to a religious or political text and those tied to authority. There is a lack of freedom in research because they are trying to preserve various relations, therefore people either do not write or they write in foreign languages. Thus, the independent critical researcher is rare. Dr. Barghouthi continued saying that research tends to focus on socio-economic issues and development rather than specifically on institution building, and that independent institutions tend to be "dakakin" and beset with internal problems, bureaucracy and authority. Now that Gaza-Jericho First has happened, there are all sorts of questions about what sort of system we are setting up and what sort of relations will exist. There are a few institutions - PASSIA, CPRS, Muwatin - doing work on these issues. However, there will be no way to have a study about governmental institutions and state building if there is not democracy. Suad al-Amari raised the issues of how the state will be built, the institutions, and what studies need to be done. She spoke of the transfer of the Civil Administration to the Palestinians where some 22,421 employees will need to be integrated and retrained. The role of the NGO's is still unclear and many wonder what their role will be, will they die, thrive or become part of the government. Similar questions remain about the Technical Committees. On the larger level, many questions exist about the PLO and the outside structure and how it will return to the inside and be integrated with the inside. What will its relationship then to Palestinians outside be? The private sector is another issue and one in which there will be tension because the inside will be overwhelmed by the money and skills coming from the outside. The issue must be addressed of what kind of upgrading will take place of the people inside. Khalil Shikaki gave his institutional presentation on the Center for Palestine Research and Studies in Nablus. CPRS had the two goals of political analysis and research. He outlined the administrative structure and the independent status of the Center. It has four concentrations: strategic studies and security, economy, policy and authority, and Israeli policies and studies (the fourth is not yet underway). The Center's work takes the shape of forums (briefings, public lectures, and brainstorming sessions); a journal (Palestine Policy); and academic research in the four concentrations. Dr. Shiqaqi described current projects underway - the corridor, settlements and refugees - and the public opinion polls CPRS has conducted, and the elections monitoring committee which it set up. Discussion: A number of issues and questions emerged out of the discussion. One, the need to rehabilitate and retrain large sections of the society and the leadership before civil society can develop, including the civil administration. In this sense, qualified people must be place in the appropriate positions. In addition, there will be the issue of deciding who decides who will be retrained, and what to do about rehabilitating the 11,400 prisoners. There also must be education about democracy. Two, a discussion of the issue of UNRWA, its creation of a dependency syndrome and its role in the future as to whether it will become part of the government. Three, the role of academic research for its own sake and research for political purposes in terms of the relation of research to the authority. (It was noted that this conference is a mixture of these two). The questions were raised as to the re-orientation of research, funding and its relationship to research priorities, the relationship between the state and the independence of research and research institutions, and the role of the intelligentsia and the authority. It was emphasized that although it is difficult to draw the line between the two, there should be a clear distinction between advising the government and that becoming the agenda upon which their work focuses. Both kinds of work (such as think tanks) are necessary in governmental and non-governmental institutions.

VIII. Session on Research on Economic Reconstruction and Development Issues Presentations by Abdel Fattah Abu Shokor, Mohammed Shtayyeh and Antoine Mansour. Presentations: Abdel Fattah Abu Shokor gave a historical review of economic and development issues starting with the Israeli occupation in 1967, including important publications, the role of the Palestinian universities, changing settlement policies, the sumud strategy and the "building" of a state. Mohammed Shtayyeh gave his institutional presentation on the Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction (PECDAR) in Jerusalem/Jericho. PECDAR will work to channel the aid and donations to building the infrastructure and to NGO's. He mentioned the administrative structure and various development models under consideration, in addition to the need for many research studies on the private sector, market needs, agriculture, energy, water, housing, etc. Within PECDAR there are three main funds: the Holst Fund of $19 million for running costs for hospitals, universities, the new administration and municipalities and councils; a technical fund of $35 million; and a project fund of $393 million (1994), $379 million (1995) and $428 million (1996). There is a direct relation between PECDAR and the PLO. All projects outside of Gaza and Jericho must be approved by the Israelis, and PECDAR must be located in these areas. Antoine Mansour mentioned that during the occupation the strategies were defensive. Now it is time to set priorities for how to set-up organizations that focus on productive activities, to provide training for entrepreneurs, and to set up programs of cooperation between business and researchers. An issue in the coming years will be how countries will operate in the free market situation -- Israel will have a free market economy after 1996 which will have an effect on the OPT. The Palestinian Diaspora must know the financial resources, potential areas of investment and technical potentials. Discussions: Discussed in this session were the following issues. One, the important role of the informal sectors of the economy, in particular during the intifada. Two, the need for a formal structure to provide research studies in reconstruction and social and economic development, particularly in non-traditional policy areas, such as education, environment, recycling, etc. There are a number of loan organizations in the West Bank and Gaza (ADCC, TDC, EDG) but they do not do studies or research on issues. Dr. Nasr also noted the current projects in Palestine or undertake by Palestinian institutions funded by the Ford Foundation about such issues, for example, studies by the Institute for Palestine Studies on water and Jerusalem, studies by the JMCC on settlements, the Near East Foundation's work, etc. He also said that some of the proposed projects ultimately do not work because of political reasons. Three, the issue of the lack of an Arab or Palestinian strategy for regional cooperation. The questions were raised of whether it will be imposed upon the region if they do not come up with one, and whether it will be composed of an Arab bank or a Middle Eastern bank which would include Israel. It was said that the Arab League should come up with a strategy, and that there have been a number of conferences on the subject in Cairo. In the Cairo press there has been much discussion on the issue with many against the idea of a Middle Eastern Market, but on ideological grounds and not out of a knowledgeable position. It was also noted that there must be serious political developments before much change will take place. Administrative restrictions which prevent trade today (and are out of the Palestinians hands) will continue. Four, it was noted the complete absence of women in the discussion. Women tend to make up the informal sector of the economy and there is a need for an effort to integrate them formally into development of the economy. Five, the issue was raised as to whether in the discussions and in reality there are efforts being made to situate the problems of Palestine in the world experience or are people starting from scratch. Is there a re-evaluation of the development models to find one that fits? Are the ones that have been proposed fitting the situation? Most important, there is the need to be aware of failures so that they are not repeated. There are models that have been discredited, for example modernization theory is now being re-issued under new names.

IX. Session on Research on Social Change and Gender Issues Presentations by Suha Hindiyyeh, Islah Jad, Eyad Sarraj and Bernard Sabella. Presentations: Suha Hindiyyeh gave the institutional presentation on the Women's Studies Center (WSC) in Jerusalem. The WSC was founded in 1989 with the goal of making the invisible visible through research and contributing to a feminist agenda. There are three components of their activities. 1) surveys and research studies. They have completed studies on street vendors and divorce rates in al-Bireh which were undertaken without specific funding for them. They are currently working on new studies, in cooperation with some organizations, on development needs for women during the interim phase, women who do handwork at home (NOVIB), and school drop-outs (UNICEF). Cooperation with independent researchers (such as Bernard Sabella, Salim Tamari) has taken place. All this research takes place on the micro level, as the WSC is too small to do macro studies. 2) educational training and outreach. They have published a bibliography on women, held a women's festival (films, etc.), and are conducting a course by Judith Tucker on trends in feminist theory. 3) they are trying to develop the library with an indexing system and CDSIS computerization. Islah Jad said that the subject of Palestinian women in society is not clear how it is perceived. Issues of training and education are not addressed, and the FAFO study showed that the more educated the woman, the lower were her chances of getting married. There is a need for gender perspective in educational issues. Women's centers do not have the capabilities nor the funding to fill the gaps. The Technical Committees were formed without a thought about including women, only later women forced the issue and a part was formed in the legislative and legal committees. There is a complete lack of concern for these issues by those in positions of power. Eyad Sarraj gave the institutional presentation on the Gaza Community Mental Health Program (GCMHP) in Gaza. The GCMHP was established in 1990 and is an independent organization with a yearly budget of $1 million. It targets two populations: children and victims of torture. In Gaza, there are 6,000 traumatized children and 90,000 adults who need psychiatric intervention due to prison, poverty, stress, intermarriage. Palestinian culture, and particularly doctors, are ignorant to the psycho-political problems and attaches a stigma to them. There are no clinical psychiatrists or mental health nurses. The activities of the GCMHP are numerous. In addition to providing mental health care, they provide training as mental health professionals. They now have three teams (doctor, nurse and psychiatrist) and train UNRWA hospital staffs and others. They publish in journals the results of their research and evaluation with a political message about the damaging effects of the occupation. They have done a study about the wives of prisoners and the oppression and abuse they often face as a result of the husband's behaviour due to the trauma. In the future, the GCMHP wants to become a training center. Bernard Sabella discussed issues of social change. He asked many questions among many others, how will political authority participate in the building of civil society? What will be the result of the thousands of young people in prisons in terms of family relations and violence? How will urban-rural relations change? How do young perceive Palestinian culture? What social institutions are needed? How do refugees see themselves and the camps? What are relations between authority and the individual? He concluded by saying that the institutions are in crisis and that they must not try to take on too much or there will be a disaster. There must be cooperation with the authority in order for it to be better, at the same time advocating particular causes and beliefs. Discussion: The discussion was about a number of issues. One, the lack of research on such issues as children, old age, laws, and personal status - marriage, divorce, inheritance, sexuality and sexual life. Some journals, Shu'un al-Mar'a and Shu'un Tanmawiyya, do cover these subjects. Two, the importance of introducing women's studies and issues into research centers and research. In particular, there is a need for these studies as regards production and economics. Three, Palestinian society will become a "normal" society when the occupation is over, and there needs to be preparation to deal with such things as drugs, etc. There will be problems rehabilitating prisoners, their bitterness, gangs, guns and drugs.

Day Three: 7th May 1994

X. Session on Building Research Institutions: Training, Equipment and Funding Needs. Salim Nasr introduced this panel and discussed the political and theoretical changes taking place which will define research possibilities and fields and affect life. There will be an end to the isolation and Palestinians will be able to learn from others' experiences and efforts. Priorities for research institutions for the coming period are to attract and train a new generation, concentrate on issues of retraining and rehabilitation, and to benefit from the Diaspora community.

Salwa Isma'il discussed how to provide a general theoretical and political framework for social science research. Many of the issues raised in the discussions of the previous two days must be seen in the wider context of the developing world and social sciences. Concepts like "state building" must be examined and the limitations understood. Will it be a 60's style centralized state or a decentralized state? What sort of institutions will be tied to the state? There are many experiences to draw upon and all of these can be fitted into a certain theoretical framework. To what extent are old development theories being recycled -- modernization theory under a new name and the predominance of industrialization as a development strategy? Many terms of the discourse are imposed. Palestine has its own specificity, but it is not in isolation. The 30 years of others' experience in the post-colonial state-building process should be taken into account. For example, imposing a national identity in order to build a state has failed in much of Africa. Before recommending a certain course of action, questions must be posed. Social science is not objective and it has normative concerns and values. Discussion: A number of issues were raised in regard to Dr. Isma'il's presentation. One, should this be a discussion among researchers or institutions? This framework cannot be imposed upon researchers since many do not have the background, and in terms of institutions, it is not reasonable for an institution to impose a theoretical framework on its researchers. There are too many paradigms - left, extreme left, conservative Islamic, moderate Islamic, liberal. If the institution then imposes a theory for research, it can refuse work based on the fact that it does not like the paradigm or ideology used, not on the professional characteristics of the work. Freedom of choice at the institutional level is very important. Two, the theoretical underpinnings of research should be made clear - where it is coming from, what it is trying to do. It cannot be separated from the work itself. Three, the contours of the Palestinian state are going to be completely shaped by political agreements and not free to decide which theory to use or not use. Four, there is a lack of theoretical knowledge in writing and setting up research and a state of theoretical isolation, lack of understanding and implementation. The isolation of the Palestinians from the Arab world has caused problems and affected research on many different levels. The first and last time many academics hear about theories is when doing their Ph.D. research. Theories are very difficult to keep up with outside of the Western university setting. Five, the intellectuals' role here is to work, not to watch, and to ensure that the people have a role in deciding their future. Six, the large gap between theory and practical work exists particularly in colonial and post-colonial societies because of lack of freedoms, etc. In threatened societies (such as Lebanon and Palestine) there is a concentration on the compilation/registering of history and memory.

XI. Session on Toward a Social Science Community: Networking, Collaboration, and Policy Relevance. This panel consisted of ideas and recommendations for institution building, cooperation, development of human resources in institutions. The participants first put forward their different ideas and recommendations. Yezid Sayigh 1) establishing a Palestinian Social Science Research Council or an inter-university research forum to help in cooperation, information, funding, support, publishing, standards, etc. 2) publishing a set of reports (task groups, policy reviews, etc.) 3) establishing relations/networks with other institutions in Palestine and the Arab world to set up possibilities for exchange of information, travel, visiting scholars, funding, etc. Antoine Mansour 1) publications that would aim at sharing of information and experiences. 2) researching and working to understand how the diaspora can play a role in building the Palestinian economy. 3) establishing new patterns of relations. 4) setting up a research project or center to investigate the private sector and possibilities there. Muhammed Shtayyeh 1) publishing bibliographies of recommended readings. 2) networking among institutions. 3) undertaking studies on the final stage status so that there will be more and better information available on such issues as refugees, settlements and Jerusalem. 4) addressing the issue of duplication of efforts and working to cooperate rather than overlap. 5) undertaking market surveys of the Palestinian economy. 6) researching the issue of land and what will be its status and who will control what. 7) researching the possibilities of the relations between the Palestinian economy and the other economies of the area. What are its needs (investment, etc.) Salwa Isma'il 1) dealing with the issues of culture and cultural studies (for example, the role of the theatre during the intifada) Suha Hindiyyeh 1) examining possibilities for relations between institutions and universities in terms of joint research and policy research. 2) integrating women and gender issues in the development process in the interim period. Suad al-Amari 1) examining regional and comprehensive planning issues, in order to tie together with sectorial planning so that there is integration in the approach. 2) ending the isolation of the West Bank and Gaza in how it relates academically and institutionally to the rest of the Arab world. 3) normalizing Palestinian culture, as all dimensions of Palestinian culture -- art, music, theatre -- are absent from Palestinian life. 4) involving young in all aspects of life (all the active people are over 40). Islamic movement is very successful in this -- social activities, summer/work camps, etc. Eyad al-Sarraj 1) rehabilitation of existing structures and retraining of existing leadership with a focus on democratization (in actions and thinking). 2) educating and training new generations in relations and life (marriage, child raising, sexual relations). Those who are abused today will be abusers tomorrow. 3) preparing for the interim and final status stages by doing pilot studies. 4) communicating through systems like BARAKA [electronic mail]. Islah Jad 1) increasing the networking and relations among institutions, among academics, and among libraries. 2) setting up / participating in something like the Cairo Book Fair. This is something organized for people to come to, for panel discussions to take place, for there to be an exchange of information. Experience of Tunis and Beirut book fairs are also important. 3) prioritizing integration on all different levels - integrating women into the economy, young people into society, returnees into society, Gaza into the West Bank elite, intellectual, and political organization. Khalil Shiqaqi 1) communicating through channels such as BARAKA, posting upcoming events on the clipboard. 2) building up a support system for institutions in terms of training employees in order to save time and efforts and work more efficiently. 3) raising standards of researchers graduating from universities in OPT. 4) bringing serious researchers in to the OPT from the outside. 5) coordinating funding but without centralization and prioritization. PECDAR is needed but should be very general and not a body of control. Iyad Barghouthi 1) since universities focus on teaching and not on research, there should be made available funding for people to do research and not for research to be done. 2) encouraging institutions in places like Khalil, Nablus, Tulkarem, Jenin, and not Ramallah. 3) prioritizing funding politically independent institutions. 4) Ford Foundation holding a conference about Jordanian-Palestinian relations in a neutral place. Abdel Fattah Abu Shokor 1) researching a variety of issues but to be discussed in an integrated format. 2) publishing a bibliography of the social sciences. 3) networking and building up relations within Palestine and outside for publications and research. Salim Tamari 1) setting up a distribution network for publications both within and outside of Palestine. 2) strengthening information exchange by electronic means to include an inventory of ongoing research to avoid duplication and coordination. BARAKA is free and only gets better with the more people who join it. 3) establishing a national depository for publications, placing everything that is published in two or three libraries. 4) holding such conferences inside Palestine and ones jointly with the Egyptians to learn from their experiences. 5) establishing a board of ethics to establish standards of research. Bernard Sabella 1) widening the role of university academics so that they can work on studies and receive training that is important to them and important to the national authority. 2) researching the subject of Jerusalem which is completely ignored. Most information comes from the Israelis.

Salim Nasr mentioned some of his responses to the suggestions. 1) The Ford Foundation funds many conferences, and he will try to get them to secure invitations for Palestinians from the OPT. 2) This conference has already had an effect as he received a proposal from George Giacaman to organize a workshop on social science research in Palestine. 3) Another workshop will be held in Cairo next year and will be more focused. 4) Ford Foundation is open to proposals related to the suggestions, particularly setting up a networking organization. He then categorized the suggestions into three areas and asked for further comments on them as such. A) Suggestions for integration, communication, ending the isolation, such as a newsletter and a book fair. Suggestions: Yezid Sayigh emphasized that the role of the Diaspora in terms of understanding the problems of inside and the need to concertize their role. He suggested tours of 12-20 Palestinian diaspora academics in social sciences to go visit universities and institutes and know who is present and set up exchange programs. Eyad al-Sarraj suggested establishing contacts with Arab countries on all different levels. Information should not just reach academics but many people, and the education system must place value on research. Bernard Sabella mentioned that the government may be coordinating and setting up some structures and frameworks and that there should be some coordination or prior awareness before setting up new structures. Islah Jad said that a newsletter is difficult to gather information for and will not be read if it is too large. A book fair does not have a critical audience, although it would provide the opportunity to exchange information, people to meet, panels to mix intellectuals and others. Muhammed Shtayyeh mentioned that four book fairs do happen at Bir Zeit at least, but that they are of each political faction and are not large nor comprehensive. In terms of distribution, it is important for Arab researchers to know about Palestine and for Palestinians to expand into the Arab world -- and internationalization of distribution.

B) Research on the final stage. Suggestions: Suad al-Amari mentioned some points that she thought were important based on here experience on the negotiating team. First, there must be more preparation. Second, there must be a division of labor between the negotiator and the researcher who should have some flexibility and independence. Third, time is a serious factor because in two years negotiations will begin about the final status. Muhammed Shtayyeh mentioned that the research that must be done should be independent and of a high standard and not an attempt to score political points. Also, the Arab Studies Association has the best information on settlements as it has aerial photos of the areas. This could serve as a basis for a geographic center. Bernard Sabella said that this is where the role of independent institutions comes in to do this sort of final status stage research. Khalil Shiqaqi said that CPRS has a section for this research. They are concerned about leaving anyone out and therefore there must be coordination. Summary: Salim Nasr summarized the second topic of the recommendations up for discussion and said that it is obvious that there is some urgency about need for research on Jerusalem, settlements, refugees, borders, and Jordanian-Palestinian relations. He suggested setting up a small meeting of organizations concerned with these issues -- CPRS, PASSIA, Arab Studies Society, Institute for Palestine Studies, CSS. They could do background studies with suggestions for a quasi-program, papers of perhaps 30 pages that are policy alternatives papers. C) Larger issues, such as a larger framework or a social science research council. Suggestions: Yezid Sayigh recommended to examine a way to organize the academic community, something like a Palestinian Social Science Research Council or an inter-university council. This could help in: 1) help in creating and focusing a research agenda (for example, how much is policy oriented and how much is community oriented research). 2) coordination of funding, research subjects, etc. 3) pooling of resources. 4) creating lists (inventories) of people, periodical, libraries, donors. 5) help receive/send visiting scholars. 6) establishing a framework for outside/inside Palestinian academic relations. Muhammed Shtayyeh asked if the Palestinian Sociological Association (mentioned by Salim Tamari) is anything similar, to which the answer was no, it is a syndicate for sociologists and anthropologists. Summary: Salim Nasr asked that Yezid Sayigh write up a working paper of his recommendation and send it to all the participants so that they could give him feedback. The Ford Foundation would be very interested in the subject.

XII. Conclusion: Salim Nasr said that any proposals for projects raised in the course of the discussions would be welcomed by the Ford Foundation. He thanked the participants for their active attendance.