Gabrielle Rifkind

Gabrielle Rifkind (born 1953) is a practising psychotherapist and group analyst, who works in conflict resolution in the Middle East. Much of her special contribution is around the role of human motivation and behaviour in resolving conflict.

She directs the Middle East Human Security Programme for the Oxford Research Group,^[1] an NGO which works to promote a more sustainable approach to security and is one of the leading UK advocates of non-military resolution of global conflict. It combines in-depth political and technical expertise with many years' experience in promoting serious analysis and dialogue.

A political entrepreneur, Rifkind has, over the last decade, created a number of quiet behind-the-scenes round-table discussions, often between groups who are not currently in dialogue in the Middle East. Her special areas of interest are Iran and the Palestine-Israel conflict. Her particular areas of expertise are the creation of suitable environments for negotiations and addressing the historical traumas and mistrust of the parties involved to avoid disruption of talks. Rifkind believes that creating a coherent and sustained framework is essential for any kind of negotiation, as it allows to deal not only with substance but also with the suspicions that sits in the way of the resolution of conflict.

A graduate of the University of Manchester and postgraduate of the University of Edinburgh, Rifkind lives in London and makes regular contributions to the media, e.g. for The Guardian,^[2][3] The Independent^[4][5][6][7] and BBC Radio 4.^[8] She has appeared on various news and political analysis programmes, has given many public lectures and engaged in debates at venues ranging from the Oxford Union ( “Time to talk to Hamas?”) and the House of Commons^[9] to Chatham House and Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.^[10]

She is author, with Scilla Elworthy, of Making Terrorism History (Random House, 2005) and, with Giandomenico Picco, of The Fog of Peace: The Human Face of Conflict Resolution (I.B. Tauris, 2014).^[11]

Notes

1. "Gabrielle Rifkind". Oxford Research Group. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
2. Rifkind, Gabrielle (26 February 2010). "A route to resolution for Syria and Israel". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
3. Rifkind, Gabrielle (28 September 2010). "Solving the West Bank settler problem". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
4. Rifkind, Gabrielle (16 July 2006). "No matter what Israel and Hamas do to each other, the solution won't be rational". The Independent. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
5. Rifkind, Gabrielle (13 February 2007). "Want to ease tensions with Iran? Just try talking". The Independent. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
6. Rifkind, Gabrielle (28 October 2007). "This dialogue of the deaf is making war more likely". The Independent. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
7. Rifkind, Gabrielle (25 January 2009). "The man to sell peace to the Middle East". The Independent. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
8. "Although Hamas won the elections yesterday, should we now negotiate with a terrorist organisation?". BBC 4 Today. 27 January 2006. Retrieved 8 December 2011.
9. Gabrielle Rifkind; Scilla Elworthy. "Hamas: Time to Talk". All-Party Parliamentary Group on Conflict Issues (APPGCI). Retrieved 9 December 2011.
10. "Iran, the West, and the Region (March 11‐12, 2007)" (PDF). Princeton University. Retrieved 9 December 2011.
11. "The Fog of Peace".

Publications

• Language of war, language of peace and its application to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict, Psychotherapy and Politics International, June 2004, Volume 2, Issue 2, pp115–122^[1]
• Co-author, Making Terrorism History, Random House, London, 2005^[2]
• 'Separating aspirations from realities', The Jerusalem Post, 1 May 2006^[3]
• 'No matter what Israel and Hamas do to each other, the solution won't be rational', The Independent, 16 July 2006^[4]
• 'What Lies Beneath the Rhetoric', Ha'aretz, 12 December 2006^[5]
• 'Want to ease tensions with Iran? Just try talking', The Independent, 13 February 2007^[6]
• 'From Crisis to Opportunity', The Jerusalem Post, February 2007^[7]
• 'A Standing Conference Table: A Process for Sustainable Peace in the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict’, Oxford Research Group, July 2007
• 'This dialogue of the deaf is making war more likely', The Independent, 28 October 2007^[8]
• 'Western diplomacy and psychology', Therapy Today, November 2007^[9]
• 'The Arab Peace Initiative: Why Now?, Oxford Research Group, November 2008. A report following the Oxford Research Group roundtable on ‘The Arab Peace Initiative as a possible exit from the current impasse – the role of the international community’ at Charney Manor in Oxfordshire on 15–17 October 2008^[10]
• 'The man to sell peace to the Middle East', The Independent, 24 January 2009^[11]
• 'A route to resolution for Syria and Israel', The Guardian, 26 February 2010^[12]
• 'Pariahs to Pioneers' Oxford Research Group, May 2010^[13]
• 'Solving the West Bank settler problem', The Guardian, September 2010^[14]
• 'Iran nuclear talks: signs of cautious optimism emerge', The Guardian, May 2012^[15]
• 'To help Syria, talk first to Iran and Saudi Arabia', The Guardian, February 2013^[16]
• 'A New Levant: a possible way through in the Syrian Crisis', openDemocracy, February 2013^[17]
• 'One Signature by Assad Could Help  to Avert the Bombing', The Times, September 2013^[18][19]
• 'Our war-torn world needs a new mediating body to resolve conflicts', The Guardian, March 2014^[20]
• 'The fog of war: it is hard to think about peace', openDemocracy, July 2014^[21]
• 'The new great regional game: Saudi Arabia and Iran', openDemocracy, July 2014^[22]
• 'Alternatives to military intervention: a commando team of mediators', openDemocracy, September 2014^[23]
• 'Britain needn't withdraw from the world stage, but we need a vision', The Independent, May 2015^[24]

External links

Oxford Research Group^[25]

Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma^[26]

Herbert C. Kelman Institute for Interactive Conflict Transformation^[27]

Video of Rifkind debating on Iran on YouTube

References

‘Misunderstanding Ulster', David Trimble, 24 November 2007^[28]

1. "Psychotherapy and Politics International - Volume 2, Issue 2 - June 2004 - Wiley Online Library". doi:10.1002/ppi.v2:2/issuetoc.
2. "Making Terrorism History". www.randomhouse.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
3. "Separating aspirations from realities". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
4. "Gabrielle Rifkind: No matter what Israel and Hamas do to each other, the solution won't be rational". Retrieved 2015-09-22.
5. "What lies beneath the rhetoric". Haaretz.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
6. "Gabrielle Rifkind Iran - Google Search". www.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
7. "From crisis to opportunity". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
8. "Gabrielle Rifkind: This dialogue of the deaf is making war more likely". Retrieved 2015-09-22.
9. "Therapy Today - The Online Magazine for Counsellors and Psychotherapists". www.therapytoday.net. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
10. "News & Publications | Oxford Research Group". www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
11. "Gabrielle Rifkind: The man to sell peace to the Middle East". Retrieved 2015-09-22.
12. "A route to resolution for Syria and Israel | Gabrielle Rifkind". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
13. "Pariahs to Pioneers: Report on the Israeli Settler Movement | Oxford Research Group". www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
14. "Solving the West Bank settler problem | Gabrielle Rifkind". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
15. "Iran nuclear talks: signs of cautious optimism emerge | Gabrielle Rifkind". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
16. Picco, Giandomenico; Rifkind, Gabrielle. "To help Syria, talk first to Iran and Saudi Arabia | Giandomenico Picco and Gabrielle Rifkind". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-22. Missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
17. "A New Levant: a possible way through in the Syrian crisis". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
18. "One signature by Assad could help  to avert the bombing | The Times". The Times. Retrieved 2015-11-30. hair space character in |title= at position 35 (help)
19. "One signature by Assad could help  to avert the bombing | The Times". The Times. Retrieved 2015-11-30. hair space character in |title= at position 35 (help)
20. "Our war-torn world needs a new mediating body to resolve conflicts | Gabrielle Rifkind". the Guardian. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
21. "The fog of war: it is hard to think about peace". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
22. "The new great regional game: Saudi Arabia and Iran". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
23. "Alternatives to military intervention: a commando team of mediators". openDemocracy. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
24. "Britain needn't withdraw from the world stage, but we need a vision". Retrieved 2015-09-22.
25. "Building Bridges for Global Security | Oxford Research Group". www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
26. "Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma". tonycharlesworthassociates.com. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
27. "Herbert C. Kelman Institute". Herbert C. Kelman Institute. Retrieved 2015-09-22.
28. Trimble, David. "Misunderstanding Ulster" (PDF).