We wish to thank Iain Stewart  for recording and dedicating the song

“Window of Peace” to us, which can be downloaded here for £0.79.

As the conflict is intensifying, many people’s minds and hearts are closing to the idea of an equal and just future. As a joint organization, we are proud to persevere together for our shared values of human rights and justice.

Today, our message of a grassroots struggle is more important than ever for those who want a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. We are launching a global campaign to reach $30,000 by May 30 to support the activism of our youth.

• Through 20 years experience, working through various political crises, we developed unique methodologies of education for shared human rights values and empowerment for activism.

• Our long-term and deep process approaches are proven by academic research to be effective and sustainable in conflict resolution.

• Windows’ joint-grassroots efforts enables us to spread accurate information and critical discourse throughout each society

How You Can Help?

-Donate to help us reach our goal

-Share the campaign with friends and family on facebook

-Host an event in your community

For more information contact Melanie, Melanie@win-peace.org

My Birthright trip arrived in Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, where we were greeted by our Israeli guides. The first thing they said was “welcome home.” It was easy to see that the next ten days were dedicated to instilling in us a strong connection to Israel. Starting in the North and working our way down to Jerusalem, we learned about the creation of Israel. The tour guide had many stories and quotations about Israel. One of the lectures consisted of quotations by two different people at two different times speaking about Israel, one saying that it was a barren desert that was dry and unpleasant, the other saying how wonderful it was and how life was thriving there. The tour guide explained that the first person had seen Israel when there were no Jews living in it, and the second person was speaking of Israel with many Jews. The tour guide was trying to convince us that Israel only flourishes when it is inhabited by Jews.

Halfway through the trip five Israeli solders joined our group. We went together to a cemetery in Jerusalem where soldiers are buried and heard about many of their amazing feats in the wars. We also saw a documentary commemorating a young American boy who desperately wanted to, and did, join the Israeli army. The American boy died in an attack, and the documentary showed countless Israelis crying around his grave. The documentary emphasized what a hero he was for fighting for Israel. When politics came up, our group leader explained that when Israel is attacked, it reacts with greater force than it received to illustrate that no one should ‘mess’ with Israel. Birthright made it seem that it was a great honor to partake in the army and that Israel was always in the right regarding its military actions because they were means of security and protection.

For one night we stayed in a Bedouin tent for tourists, and our guide spoke a bit about Bedouin lifestyle. We did not talk to any Palestinians or even about Palestinians and their lives in Israel and the West Bank.

I stayed in Israel after my trip because there was an option to extend our Birthright tickets and I wanted to travel more. When looking for Post-Birthright experiences, I came upon a Windows tour and decided that it would be interesting to go to the West Bank. It was much more than just a tour of the West Bank. Emily, my Windows tour guide, explained a different side of Israel, the side of the Palestinians. She spoke of the different problems that the Palestinians were facing, such as housing demolitions, lack of equal citizenship, barriers coming into Israel, unemployment, refugee camps, Jewish settlements, etc. I was shocked; I had never heard the other side of the story, and Birthright made me feel as though all of Israel’s actions are completely legitimate and purely in the name of security. Now I see that the issues are much more complicated than that. The tour took us to a refugee camp near Bethlehem, where we saw how many Palestinians live. On the way out of the Bethlehem checkpoint, I saw a Palestinian woman beg an Israeli soldier to let her return to her home in East Jerusalem. The soldier refused. For the first time, I started to feel that there was really an occupation.

My tour with Windows showed me an unbiased view of the situation; it showed me the Palestinian’s lives and then let me experience them. Emily was merely offering the view of Palestinians and letting us see for ourselves a different side of Israel. After my tour with Windows, I am able to look at the conflict from both sides, something that Birthright did not offer. This is important because the process of peace cannot begin if it is not based on justice. I did enjoy my time on Birthright, but now I also see the different ways it tried to influence me to join its own beliefs. I highly recommend Windows’s tour to anyone that has been on Birthright so that they can become less biased in their thoughts on Israel instead of being put on a one-sided mission in favor of a Jewish state. As an American Jew, it is a challenge to know Israel’s whole story because of the distance between it and the United States. However, Americans, especially American Jews, have political influence on Israel, so it is extremely important that they are properly informed. Otherwise, their actions could hurt a just solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. After all, real peace comes from lawfulness, fairness and understanding from everyone, something that Windows truly hopes to accomplish.

pictures from the tour here

We are glad to invite you to the Film Screening The Law In These Parts A film by Ra’anan Alexandrowicz   Thursday  29.12 19:30 at windows, Lilinblum 29 TA English subtitles.

Film screening and conversation with the producer Liran Atzmor

This film is not about the people who broke the law, but about those entrusted with the law,” says director Ra’anan Alexandrowicz about his latest project. Ambitiously perceived, sparely designed, and meticulously executed, The Law in These Parts is commanding and compassionate as it goes to the heart of Israel’s moral quandary. In this country founded on democratic principles, Alexandrowicz asks—in both simple and profound terms—can justice truly be served in the occupied territories given the current system of law administered by Israel for Palestinians?

The Event

אנו שמחים להזמינכם להקרנת הסרט “שלטון החוק” זוכה פרס הסרט התיעודי בפסטיבל ירושלים, 2011 ולאחריו דיון עם אחד מיוצריו.

“שלטון החוק”, שזכה בפרס הסרט התיעודי הטוב ביותר בפסטיבל ירושלים האחרון ויוקרן בסאנדנס בחודש הבא עוסק בטיפול המשפטי לאורך השנים בגדה המערבית ובעזה מאז 1967. הסרט בודק מה הם הקווים המנחים של משפטנים צבאיים שפעלו בשנים אלו, ומהו יחסה של המערכת המשפטית, הפועלת תחת הפיקוח והבקרה של בית המשפט העליון, לפלסטינים וליהודים – באמצעות ראיונות וקטעי ארכיון.

יום חמישי ה29.12 ב19:30 בחלונות, לילינבלום 29, תל אביב.

לארוע בפייסבוק

دعوة

لعرض فيلم “سيادة القانون” الحائز على جائزة الفيلم الوثائقي في مهرجان القدس 2011، تليه مناقشة مع أحد منتجيه. الفيلم باللغة العبرية مع ترجمة للانجليزية.

“سيادة القانون”، فيلم حاز على جائزة أفضل فيلم وثائقي في مهرجان القدس الأخير وسيتم عرضه في “سندانس” الشهر القادم. يتمحور الفيلم حول المحاكم العسكرية الإسرائيلية في الضفة الغربية وغزة ومعالجتها القانونية المتواصلة عبر السنين منذ عام 1967. يحقق الفيلم في المعايير الموجهة لقضاة عسكريون وعلاقة الهيئة القضائية اجمالا. يقدم الفيلم ولقطات أرشيفية.

The Event

The class is beginner level, so it doesn’t matter whether you’ve never studied
Arabic before or just want to brush up on your basics.

The classes will meet twice a week, for two-and-a-half  hours, over the period of eight weeks.

the classes will begin at 13.7.11 and will continue every Sunday and Wednesday

The focus of the course will be to give students the ability to hold
conversations and to provide a solid foundation for further studies.

Throughout the course, students will gain:

•Familiarity with the structure of verbs in past, present and future tense, as well as noun conjugation

• Basic vocabulary in the areas of: day-to-day activity, school, work,
dining, traveling, direct action activities and more.

1550 NIS,  for 40 hours of lessons.
Contact: 03-6208324, 0528845990
www.win-peace.org

Click on the program flyer to enlarge

for more updates check out windows on  facebook

Would you like to get a first-hand account of the conflict from grassroots Palestinian and Israeli peace activists?

We are inviting you to become a part of Windows- Channels for Communication, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization struggling for peace and justice by educating both sides about the conflict.

At Windows we believe that stereotypes and misinformation are largely to blame for the lack of a unified struggle against discrimination and violence in the region. We have taken it upon ourselves, a joint team of Israeli Jews, Palestinian citizens of Israel, and Palestinians from the West Bank to go out into our communities and educate about ‘the other’ and the need to preserve each other’s rights in the face of a violent conflict. We listen to each other’s narratives, we debate, and we grow together, accepting that we will one day share this land and it is up to us to decide how to do it.

As you prepare for your trip to Israel, we want to invite you to be a part of the Windows Experience. At Windows we believe in challenging your sources of information and making an effort to hear the ‘other side.’ Most tourists in Israel never get to meet and talk with Palestinians about living under an occupation, or see the separation wall, the checkpoints, and the settlements. These issues are at the heart of the conflict and we want to give you the opportunity to experience them for yourself.

In an effort to reach out to the Jewish community, Windows is conducting an alternative Israel experience to give Jews from outside of Israel the chance to hear both sides of the conflict and to meet with Palestinians and Israelis who are working together for a just and peaceful solution. You will hear from some of the leading human rights organizations in the country, visit the most contentious political spots, and hear from courageous Israeli and Palestinians activists who are struggling daily for justice and peace.

If you are a person who takes a stand against oppression, someone who is repulsed by inequality and violence, and an individual with a thirst for truth, then this tour is for you. Regardless of your opinions, and especially if you are interested in hearing both sides of the story before forming a stance, consider participating in the Windows Experience.

If you would like to sign up or find out more information, please send an email to Emily@win-peace.org

We hope to see you in Israel and Palestine

*Note: I…f you need to obtain an entry permit into Israel, please contact us at 03 620 8324 or office@win-peace.org.

Spoken Arabic Courses

As part of our work to advance communication between Jews and Palestinians, we offer a variety of levels of Palestinian dialect courses through our Tel Aviv Friendship Center. Ranging from beginner to advanced, all courses emphasize useful language abilities for everyday conversation in a multitude of situations.

Our teacher, is a native Arabic speaker, with more than 10 years experience teaching spoken Palestinian dialect.

For details about dates, prices and levels, please contact the office at 03-620-8324, or the teacher directly at 052-884-5990, or office@win-peace.org.