Seminar Program:

1. Preparation

PASSIA consulted with Palestinian and European scholars in order to plan and implement the seminar. Consultation began in November 1996 and PASSIA advertised the proposed seminar in the local press, Al Quds and Al-Ayyam, during the month of December 1996. Notification was also given to national institutions such as universities, research centers, and institutions of the Palestinian National Authority. No fees for undertaking the course is required by the participants.

2. Participant Selection Procedure

PASSIA formed a Committee specifically for the preparatory stage of the seminar. Its members were: Dr. Mahdi Abdul Hadi, Dr. Joel Peters and Deniz Altayli. PASSIA received applications from all over the Palestinian Territories and applicants were invited for interviews. Dr. Joel Peters from the University of Reading, UK, conducted the interviews over the period from 19th to 22nd January 1997 at PASSIA in Jerusalem. Fifteen of the interviewees were selected to participate in the seminar, as well as four reserves.

3. Reading Period

The lecturers provided a list of reference materials covering the topics addressed in the seminar. Required reading material was photocopied and distributed to the participants at the beginning of February 1997 in order that they could familiarize themselves with the concepts of the seminar beforehand. Each participant received a reading package including assorted articles and essays amounting to approx. 300 pages.

During the seminar, the lecturers distributed further material related to their subjects, and additional recommended reading material was available for the participants at the PASSIA library. The reading period included the preparation of a background paper, whereby each of the participants was assigned a specific topic about which to collect the required information.

4. Lecture Program

From 3rd to 15th March 1997 a series of lectures, workshops and simulations was given by Palestinian scholars and foreign experts. In addition, representatives from the diplomatic corps in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv were giving presentations on certain topics. The participants themselves presented their background research papers that they prepared as part of the one-month preparatory reading period.

5. Writing Assignments

Participants were required to write two essays in English. The first assignment was to be a background paper for which the participants were asked to collect information on the purpose and structures of international organizations and major areas of international conflict. The assignment was to be submitted at the beginning of the lecture period had to be presented in a lecture not exceeding ten minutes during the first couple of days of the seminar. The assignments centered around subjects such as international/multilateral organizations (e.g. NATO, UN, OSCE, EU, Arab League), international treaties, conflicts in the Middle East, contemporary conflicts in the world (e.g. Bosnia, Cyprus), the changing global agenda (North-South and East-West dimensions), and the role of the US in Middle Eastern conflict resolution.

The second assignment given to the participants was a more sophisticated essay containing a thesis, stringent argumentation and thorough research on topics taken from the fields of diplomacy, negotiations and conflict resolution methods elaborating further on topics tackled in the seminar. It was required for submission by the middle of April 1997. Seminar lecturers had compiled a list of suggested titles for these essays and participants selected one each for analysis.

Participants who performed all required tasks were handed a certification stating their successful participation in the seminar program.

6. Publication

PASSIA recorded all sessions and discussions of the seminar. This seminar report contains minutes of all the lectures and summaries of the workshops and discussions, as well as the participants’ presentations in the seminar.

We included all the first assignments handed in as to acknowledge the efforts the participants made. We included the main body of text after English editing and adapting it to the format of this publication. We did not, however, change any of the content even though we are well aware that there are considerable differences in quality; the reader might judge about this.

After reviewing the second essays, the PASSIA Academic Committee included a selection, covering each of the main fields of the seminar, for publication. Also here, the essays were edited, adapted to format and sometimes shortened, but the content was not corrected.

7. Advanced Studies

Based on their performance during the seminar, the PASSIA Academic Committee nominated the two most outstanding candidates from among those seminar participants who fulfilled all requirements, Safa’ Abu Asab and Adnan A. Joulani, for two fellowships to study towards a MA in International Studies at the University of Reading, UK. Ms. Ailie Saunders of PASSIA’s partner institute RUSI (Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies), London, will facilitate the nominees’ stay in the UK and be at their disposition whenever they may seek advice or assistance. Furthermore, another outstanding fellow, Husam Shakhshir, was enabled to take part in the International Leadership Academy (ILA) 1997 in Amman, Jordan, organized by the United Nations University. The Leadership Program seeks to enhance the commitment of leaders and potential leaders to UN values; participants have the chance to learn directly from important successful leaders, regional and global.