Cablegate: Monitoring and Evaluating Seeds of Peace's

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 AMMAN 005823

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR PRM AND NEA

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF PREL KPAL KWBG IS JO
SUBJECT: MONITORING AND EVALUATING SEEDS OF PEACE'S
COEXISTENCE CENTER IN JERUSALEM

REF: STATE 148171

1. AS REQUESTED REFTEL, REGIONAL REFCOORD MONITORED PRM-
FUNDED ACTIVITIES AT SEEDS OF PEACE'S JERUSALEM CENTER FOR
COEXISTENCE ON SEPTEMBER 5, 2002. WE UNDERSTAND PRM/ANE
MONITORED PRM-FUNDED ACTIVITIES AT THE SEEDS SUMMER CAMP IN
MAINE AND THEREFORE ARE REPORTING ONLY ON ACTIVITIES AT THE
JERUSALEM CENTER FOR COEXISTENCE. REPORT IS KEYED TO
QUESTIONS PROVIDED REFTEL.

A. ON SEPTEMBER 5, REFCOORD MET WITH SEEDS OF PEACE'S
COEXISTENCE CENTER PROGRAM DIRECTOR NED LAZARUS AND SENIOR
PROGRAM OFFICER JEN MARLOWE. SEEDS OF PEACE VICE PRESIDENT
AND COEXISTENCE DIRECTOR BILL MCLAUGHLIN HAS BEEN ABSENT
FROM JERUSALEM SINCE JUNE 2002, DUE TO HEALTH PROBLEMS.
OTHER PROGRAM STAFF AT THE COEXISTENCE CENTER INCLUDE: DR.
REUVEN BARNEIS, SAMI AL-JUNDI, SUZAN KHATIB AND ETHAN
SCHECHTER. TWO ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT STAFF (A RECEPTIONIST
AND JANITOR) ALSO WORK AT THE CENTER.

B. SEEDS OF PEACE IS DOING AN EXCELLENT JOB OF PROMOTING
COEXISTENCE UNDER VERY DIFFICULT POLITICAL AND SECURITY
CONDITIONS. IT HAS REVAMPED ITS APPROACH TO COEXISTENCE
PROGRAMMING TO ACCOMMODATE CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON THE
ABILITY OF PALESTINIANS TO TRAVEL, BRINGING SEEDS
FACILITATORS TO PALESTINIAN YOUTH AND USING ELECTRONIC MEDIA
TO KEEP CHANNELS OF COMMUNICATION OPEN BETWEEN ISRAELI AND
PALESTINIAN YOUTH. MOREOVER, WITH A WELL-TRAINED AND
ENERGETIC STAFF IN JERUSALEM AND STRONG SUPPORT FROM BOTH
ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS, SEEDS OF PEACE IS WELL
POSITIONED TO CARRY OUT THE SENSITIVE YET ESSENTIAL TASK OF
TOLERANCE AND COEXISTENCE BUILDING. IF PRM REMAINS
SATISFIED WITH PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION THROUGHOUT THE COURSE
OF THIS GRANT, REFCOORD STRONGLY RECOMMENDS PRM CONSIDER
FUNDING SIMILAR ACTIVITIES IN FY2003.

C. REFCOORD VISITED THE COEXISTENCE CENTER JUST AS SEEDS
STAFF WERE REGROUPING FROM THEIR SUMMER CAMP EFFORTS. THE
FIRST FEW MONTHS OF THE PRM GRANT (MAY-AUGUST) WERE FOCUSED
SOLELY ON SELECTING AND PREPARING PALESTINIAN YOUTH FOR THE
SUMMER CAMP (INCLUDING HOLDING ORIENTATION MEETINGS WITH
OLDER SEEDS); FACILITATING THE YOUTHS' COEXISTENCE
ACTIVITIES AT THE CAMP; AND ORGANIZING TWO POST-CAMP
MEETINGS, WHERE NEW SEEDS COULD MEET THEIR "PEER SUPPORTS,"
OLDER SEEDS WHO HAVE STAYED ACTIVE IN COEXISTENCE PROGRAMS
AND ARE EAGER TO ENCOURAGE NEW SEEDS TO DO AS WELL. IN
EARLY SEPTEMBER, THE COEXISTENCE CENTER WAS JUST BEGINNING
TO PLAN ITS AUTUMN PROGRAMMING. SEEDS STAFF WERE ESPECIALLY
EAGER TO BROADEN THEIR COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES,
PLANNING TO BRING TOGETHER ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN YOUTH TO
GATHER DONATIONS FOR DISADVANTAGED YOUTH IN JAFFA. (NOTE:
SEPARATE FROM THIS GRANT, SEEDS ALSO HOPES TO DEVELOP
COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES IN PALESTINIAN REFUGEE CAMPS,
AND LIKELY WILL SEEK PRM FUNDING FOR SUCH ACTIVITIES).
REFCOORD WILL MONITOR COEXISTENCE CENTER ACTIVITIES AGAIN IN
LATE NOVEMBER OR EARLY DECEMBER, TO ENSURE THAT ACTIVITIES
FUNDED BY THE GRANT WERE HELD AS PLANNED.

D. CURRENT VIOLENCE, TENSIONS AND PHYSICAL BARRIERS
(CHECKPOINTS AND CURFEWS) BETWEEN ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS
DEEPLY AFFECT SEEDS OF PEACE'S ABILITY TO IMPLEMENT
COEXISTENCE PROGRAMS. CURRENTLY, ONLY PALESTINIANS WHO HOLD
JERUSALEM ID'S ARE ALLOWED TO TRAVEL TO THE COEXISTENCE
CENTER, LOCATED IN EAST JERUSALEM. FOR THIS REASON, SEEDS
CONSCIOUSLY SELECTED JERUSALEM ID HOLDERS FOR THE FIVE
SUMMER CAMP SLOTS PAID FOR WITH PRM FUNDING, TO ENSURE THAT
THE PRM-FUNDED CAMPERS WOULD BE ABLE TO PARTICIPATE IN
FOLLOW-ON COEXISTENCE ACTIVITIES THROUGHOUT THE 2002-2003
SCHOOL YEAR. IN ORDER TO REACH PALESTINIAN SEEDS WHO RESIDE
OUTSIDE JERUSALEM, SEEDS HAS SHIFTED PROGRAMMING TO AREAS
OUTSIDE JERUSALEM, HOLDING PRE-CAMP WORKSHOPS IN THE SUMMER
OF 2002 IN GAZA, RAMALLAH, JENIN AND BETHLEHEM. SEEDS
RELIES GREATLY ON ITS TWO INTERNATIONAL STAFF (LAZARUS AND
MARLOWE) TO TRAVEL TO PALESTINIAN TOWNS, CITIES AND REFUGEE
CAMPS TO HOLD FOLLOW-ON COEXISTENCE ACTIVITIES WITH
PALESTINIAN YOUTH WHO ARE UNABLE TO TRAVEL TO JERUSALEM.
SUCH ACTIVITIES INCLUDE VIDEO DIALOGUE, INTERNET DIALOGUE
AND THE DIARIES PROJECT AND OLIVE BRANCH REPORTING.

E. THE COEXISTENCE CENTER STAFF SEEMS TO BE FULLY AND
GAINFULLY EMPLOYED. GIVEN CURRENT RESTRICTIONS ON
PALESTINIAN TRAVEL WITHIN THE WEST BANK AND GAZA AND TO
JERUSALEM, SEEDS' TWO INTERNATIONAL STAFF ARE REQUIRED TO
SPEND MUCH OF THEIR TIME TRAVELING TO REACH PALESTINIAN
YOUTH WHO WOULD OTHERWISE REMAIN ISOLATED FROM SEEDS
PROGRAMMING. SEEDS PROBABLY COULD DO AN EVEN BETTER JOB OF
REACHING PALESTINIAN YOUTH IF IT HAD AN ADDITIONAL WORKING-
LEVEL INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM OFFICER, RATHER THAN A JERUSALEM-
BASED VICE PRESIDENT.

F. THE COEXISTENCE CENTER'S OFFICE IS SPACIOUS AND WELL
EQUIPPED. EQUIPMENT APPEARED TO BE IN WORKING ORDER AND
USED ON A REGULAR BASIS. NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT WAS
PURCHASED WITH USG FUNDS.
G. N/A

H. IF FUTURE FUNDING IS PROVIDED FOR PALESTINIAN REFUGEE
YOUTH TO PARTICIPATE IN SEEDS OF PEACE ACTIVITIES, REFCOORD
RECOMMENDS THAT PRM WORK WITH SEEDS AND APPROPRIATE
PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI OFFICIALS TO ENSURE THAT NON-
JERUSALEM RESIDENTS ALSO CAN PARTICIPATE IN THE SUMMER CAMP
AND FOLLOW-ON COEXISTENCE ACTIVITIES. PROMOTION OF
TOLERANCE AND PROMOTION IS TOO IMPORTANT A POLICY GOAL TO
LIMIT PARTICIPATION ONLY TO JERUSALEM ID HOLDERS.

2. CONGEN JERUSALEM CLEARED THIS CABLE.

GNEHM

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