Alliance for Middle East Peace

Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) is a group of over 70 leading non-governmental organizations working to foster reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, and between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East. [1] Its members include a wide variety of groups, including grassroots coexistence groups, academic groups, and social foundations. [2]

In 2015, Alliance for Middle East Peace added two new members to its coalition, the Center for Israel Studies (Jordan) and Hands of Peace. [3]

Agenda and proposals

One of ALLMEP's proposals is an independent International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace to support and encourage efforts to build peace in the region. [4] ALLMEP’s initial advocacy in Washington secured dedicated funds for these organizations within the Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation of USAID. ALLMEP later widened its plan, to try to establish an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (IFFIPP) modelled on the International Fund for Ireland which played a notable role in addressing the “troubles” in Northern Ireland. [5]

History

ALLMEP began as an informal coalition in late 2003. The group first convened in February 2004, at the first annual Middle East coexistence conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. ALLMEP was formally incorporated in 2006. It grew from 14 organizations in 2004 to 27 in 2005 and 44 NGOs in 2007. [6]

ALLMEP has met with USAID and State Department officials, including at its event in Jerusalem in 2006 which included NGO representatives and U.S. diplomats. It also has ongoing contact with appropriate U.S. officials responsible for NGO funding. [6]

ALLMEP hosts an annual event in Washington. In June 2005, ALLMEP held a summer conference on coexistence. The event included Middle East ambassadors, Jewish and Muslim religious leaders, members of Congress, State Department officials, leading pro-Israel and pro-Arab activists, Middle East NGO activists to discuss ALLMEP's agenda of coexistence. More than 250 participated, including diplomats from Tunisia, Yemen, Sweden, Saudi Arabia, and Afghanistan. [6]

The programming included a panel discussion by Egyptian Ambassador Fahmy, Jordanian Prince Firas bin Raad, Palestinian Chief Representative Hassan Abdel Rahman, Luxembourg Ambassador (during EU presidency) Arlette Conzemius-Paccoud, and former U.S. Ambassador Phillip Wilcox of the Washington Middle East Institute. ALLMEP members also met with over 30 congressional offices, regarding the NGOs work on reconciliation. [6]

In March 2006, ALLMEP co-sponsored a reception and screening of a new documentary film about coexistence efforts, Encounter Point. In conjunction with this event, ALLMEP and JustVision representatives met with more than 37 congressional offices. [6]

In March 2009, the summit members of ALLMEP met with members of Congress, the Department of State, USAID, and the White House. As interest increased for the idea of the IFFIPP, the Alliance doubled its number of meetings in 2009 compared to 2008, and met with over ten percent of Congressional offices. [5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ ALLMEP Grows to Over 70 Organizations, ALLMEP news, Thursday, 29 October 2009.
  2. ↑ Promoting People-to-People Coexistence in the Middle East, Stanford University
  3. ↑ http://www.allmep.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=338:allmep-welcomes-two-new-members-to-its-coaltion&catid=11:newsallmep&Itemid=25
  4. ↑ 2009 ALLMEP Summit, group website.
  5. 1 2 Op-Ed: Establishing an International Fund for Israeli-Palestinian Peace, By Rabbi Michael M. Cohen, March 19, 2009, Common Ground News Service.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Overview, ALLMEP website.

External links

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