Informal conduits act in the mid of the conflict

“Non-state actors in the mantle of Israeli-Palestinian conflict”

Wherever in this globe conflicts take a colorful shape, not as we think used to be in their familiar image shows that they all about a battlefield where conflicting sides fighting one another irrespective of what shape does it take this confrontation. This is a cursory glance at the conflicts.

However, conflicts formulate a periphery where miscellaneous actors existent at many spheres acting in the confrontational circles, each of which has own goals and agenda why working in conflict zones or what sort of products these actors are playing on.  

Therefore, conflict is an unparalleled realm to other realms that enjoy pacifism which is in our perspective of international relations aren’t considerably a fertile environment call up different actors to come in and act inside in order for putting down hostilities through educational tools might be jointly between the conflicting sides.

Taking a look at the Israeli-Palestinian scene, we can figure out different kind of conflict has been going on for decades passing through impassable paths in most often causing fluctuations at political and social arena. It’s thinkable that this situation shattered apart the standards of dignified life and  ended up seeking a firm intervention by multiple parties to patch up what have been deteriorated for long years due to the fragility of the ground that presumably is a robust where both sides should have already built up sustainable understandings.

The nature of violent confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis has shaped a status quo imposes intervention on the respective actors abroad to plunge into this ramified confrontational circle for repairing what have been torn apart, even in an attempt to restore the irreparable parts. Therefore, the International Community especially the countries that are close allies to both Israel-Palestine sides in certain policies conceive this conflict from another angle believing that compromising the conflict through formal diplomatic and political conduits isn’t always the feasible solution, but disregarding the local level where contiguously both sides are living without absolute reconcilable relationships. These countries realize that the local civil society ought to be targeted as well in a step pleasing kind of equilibrium at both sides in line with bottom-up approach of resolving conflicts.

Undoubtedly, the tangible consequences of this endless confrontation sharpen the attention of the civil society organizations or (NGOs) that act in many fields to provide the required remedies for rebuilding the conflict-ridden communities specifically at the Palestinian side.

Delving profoundly into this non-governmental sector, whether already founded NGOs which receive funding from abroad to enhance their activities or foreign NGOs act at both sides, we can touch upon the ongoing activities organized to recruit individuals at their different ages that aim at strengthening certain values through educational tools to fill the vacuums, and drawing out the nuggets that have made the target groups dysfunctional because of the conflict which these civil society organizations dedicated to work on, believing that it’s a way for conflict mitigation especially the ones that take a common ground model at both sides.

As the agenda of these NGOs are inextricably interwoven with the prerequisites of troubled societies that reflect the tangible implications of this conflict, we can see how these NGOs impinge on the aspirations of each side toward prosperous future at the grassroots, and contribute to fleshing out the thoughts in real enterprises. Of course, this collision between the services provided by these actors with the dire need of both societies for changeable status quo, generates a new joint culture brings about  convergence of views that these actors mainly work for.

What catches our interest to explore much more these non-state actors in the mid of conflict in terms of where are they come from, donors, their implicit agenda, what have been accomplished by whether at social or political spheres, and are they feasible for conflict transformation or they just merely an existing manifestations imposed by the nature of the conflict. Moreover, the clashing orientations at both sides bring up more queries of how these organizations handling them in order to guarantee the trust and endorsement of the target groups.

In fact, German political foundations as international non-state actors act unilaterally and bilaterally at both sides, have a remarkable presence. These foundations are closely associated with the major political parties at German parliament (Bundestag) are; Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Hanns Seidel Foundation and Friedrich Naumann Foundation for freedom.

 The universal posture distinguishes them, their work is not only practiced within Israeli-Palestinian communities. So, this pushes us to wonder how act these German conduits in a conflict zone. Considering the fields that these foundations work in, we can fire a quick impression that they aim at developing both conflicting societies through embedding the democratic values, creating an environment where people can speak out highlighting certain issues, like conflict-induced dilemmas in the Palestinian side, empowering women, rule of law, environmental issues, reporting and censoring human rights abuse at both sides, enhancing conviviality through joint initiatives that considered an obstacle encounters them, and meeting the minimum needs of the Palestinian side toward an independent state on the one hand, and ensuring that both sides could step up together towards a promising future on the other hand.

It’s incontrovertible to ascribe their presence as somewhat influential as the official diplomatic channels running multilaterally to reach an end to this conflict culminated with the most recent Paris’s initiative for a new series of negotiations, irrespective to what extent have these political foundations topped the list of accomplishments in resolving this conflict.

This is what makes the conflict scene more embellished with these conduits. Thus, the deteriorated situation isn’t left without remedies where these aforementioned foundations acting tirelessly through organizing symposiums where the cultural elite is engaged to discuss various issues even the fateful ones, there are ongoing activities for youth to embrace their ambitions and help them alleviate the negative effects of challenges caused by conflict through conducting researches and analyzing the status quo all the time. Furthermore, it’s an axiomatic reality that these foundations play a good role in embracing the political orientations with new pillars of leading the civil society, good governance, and political education represents the broader scale of these foundations’ agenda. As well as, we can find out the social mobility they contribute to. For instance, at the Palestinian side there are some marginalized social issues being taken into consideration to reach the revival, because the German policy in this area aims at erecting the pillars of change by approaching the societies and meeting their needs.

To sum up, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a fertile environment that provokes the engagement of the international non-state actors within. The German presence through its noticeable political foundations add up distinguishable traits to this conflict reflect the developmental process socially and politically at the local level sponsored by these foundations.

The Germany political foundations constitute a reference and incubator for change and policy-makers at both sides rely on in many things through transferring the German deep-seated experience of social and political transformation which represent a role model for many people in this area to interact with.