IDF started its activities by organising an international conference Models of Cohabitation in 1989 in the Peace Palace in The Hague. It was one of the first public meeting in which both representatives of the PLO and Israeli politicians participated, such as Abba Eban and Hanan Ashrawi. This conference was followed by the project Dynamics of Self-determination in which Palestinian, Israelian and European universities and research institutes co-operated; and the project Someday, an exhibition of drawings in which Palestinian and Israeli children expressed their feelings on their situation and their expectations of the future.
A role for Europe in the Middle East
On 14 June International Dialogues Foundation organised in co-operation with a number of Dutch NGO's (ICCO, Cordaid, NOVIB, Pax Christi) a public discussion meeting in Felix Meritis in Amsterdam on A role for Europe in the Middle East. The meeting was the provisional outcome of a number of consultations with Dutch Middle East experts to consider the possibility of organising an international conference on this subject. These were organised in co-operartion with The Clingendael Institute. (LINK: Expert Papers) Since in the meantime the situation had deteriorated considerably it was decided to organise as a first step this public discussion meeting in Amsterdam.
Main speakers at this meeting were; Haider Abdel Shafi, Menachim Klein, Khalil Shikaki and Christian Berger (LINK: Summaries main speakers). There were workshops on 'A viable Palestinian State: Economic Development and Good Governance' and on 'The Refugees Question' (LINK: Workshops). The organisers presented papers on 'A Role for Europe in the Middle-East in a Changing International Context' by International Dialogues Foundation and A Role for Europe in the Middle East and the Civil Organisations of the Dutch NGO's (LINK: Papers Organisers).
How these consultations will be continued depends on the outcome of the political developments in the Middle East. At present the prospect are obscure. As International Dialogues Foundation had come to the conclusion that the impasse of the negotiations cannot be understood in isolation of the international developments since 11 September and the role that was chosen by the US government to support one-sidedly Israel. IDF will focus its attention on the involvement of the Arab countries in the discussions. (LINK: IDF paper 'A role for Europe in the Middle East in a changing international context')
Link:
http://www.internationaldialogues.nl/middle_east/role_europe_middle_east/role_europe_middle_east.html
Link:
http://www.internationaldialogues.nl/middle_east/int_conf_me_pol/int_conf_me_pol.html
