Partners
Institute of Law (IOL)
The Institute of Law at Birzeit University was established in 1993 in order to contribute to the evolution of legal structures and the rule of law in Palestine. The emergence of governmental structures and the exercise of legislative activity in the context of the present political process have created the need for a venue in which academics and professionals systematically and creatively focus on the challenges facing legal institutions in Palestine, and contribute to building them. The cooperation with IOL focuses on four main fields: 1) Development of a legal database ("Al Muqtafi") to provide access for users to a bilingual data bank containing all laws that are valid in the Palestinian Territories. The databank and the distribution of its content among relevant institutions aim at creating a point of reference for the development of legislation and jurisdiction. 2) IOL carries out advanced training programs ("Legal Encounters") for Palestinian public prosecutors, judges, and lawyers in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The goal is to improve standards and skills in the various sectors and to ascertain that the jurisdiction is based on at least a minimum of common consensus in legal practice. 3) Conducting researches about the amended basic law and legislations enacted by the Palestinian Authority from the point of view of the harmony of legislations amongst each other and their consistency with the basic law that has – until now - the constitutional status; the training encounters are partly serving to enrich and disseminate these researches. 4) Organisation of international conferences. Palestinian and international experts and decision-makers are given the chance to discuss in depth current issues related to developments in the region. These conferences focus mainly on exploring possibilities for a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict as well as on exploring ways of strengthening the Palestinian judiciary system.
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Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR)
The Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PSR) is an independent non-profit research institution. PSR was founded with the goal of advancing research and knowledge on issues of immediate concern to Palestinians in three areas: domestic politics and government, strategic analysis and foreign policy, public opinion polls and survey research on current Palestinian political and social tendencies. These polls cover a wide range of issues concerning the Palestinian politics, prospects of peace process, reforms and other current political and social issues. In addition the PSR conducts workshops on several topics related to the peace process and to political and administrative reforms. These workshops are attended by politicians, academics, journalists and representatives of organizations of the civil society. The publication of occasional papers and providing assistance to the Palestinian constitution’s committee completes the Center's efforts.
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Institute for Community Partnership (ICP)
Institute for Community Partnership (ICP) is a semi-autonomous unit of the University of Bethlehem. ICP has been founded to enforce the interlinkage of the University and the Palestinian community. Growth and development of the communities are strengthened by providing its members access to the teaching offers, the institutions and services of the University. ICP contains several departments. It offers counselling, training courses and local and international conferences. The implementation of training courses aims at contributing to sustainable development of the Palestinian society. The inclusion of the participants – target group are regional decision-makers – is the main element of the training seminars. The support of local affairs is of major importance due to its impact for the development of democracy, since the access to political commitment often starts on the local level. Objective is to support new developments and improvements to a democratic state structure, that can prosper on the “grassroots”-level in an ideal way and can advance. “Good governance” on the local level is supported in order to be able to lead to a democratic national community.
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Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque
Al-Kasaba Theatre and Cinematheque is a non-governmental cultural specialized organization established in 1970 in Jerusalem, aims at the activation of cultural life in Palestine, and enhancing the cultural exchange between local, Arab and International cultures, through the production of its own theatrical work as well as through hosting art performances, activities, and training courses in most fields of art. The Theatre targets different sectors of society.
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MIFTAH - The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy
MIFTAH is a Palestinian NGO that aims to strengthen democracy and good governance within the Palestinian society. Founded in 1999, the organization bases its engagement on a wide network of national and international contacts and partnerships. This outreach scale was enabled through the high prestige and a wide political spectrum of its board of management which includes Hanan Ashrawi, Ziad Abu-Amr, Mustafa Barghouthi and the deceased Edward Said. In spite of their different party affiliations the unity of MIFTAH is preserved through organizational partition. MIFTAH works for the empowerment of Palestinian women and youth and for policy formulation in different programs. These programs aim to enhance integrity, transparency and accountability in the public sector as well as to strengthen the position of the media. The Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Ramallah will create together with MIFTAH an independent monitoring unit which will control the legislative procedure of the Hamas-dominated Legislative Council (PLC), the parliament of the Palestinian National Authority. This unit will function as a kind of early warning system that detects possible intentions directed against democracy, human rights and constitutional principles. Parliamentarism, political parties and the development of democracy will be strengthened at the same time.
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Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI)
The Israel Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI) is a joint institution of Israelis and Palestinians dedicated to the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on the basis of “two states for two peoples” in a democratic and peaceful environment.
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Wasatia
Wasatia is a political movement founded on March 21st, 2007, by the director of the American Studies Institute at Al-Quds University in East-Jerusalem, Prof. Mohammed Dajani. It is the first Islamic religious movement that endorses a peaceful negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Wasatia is a term from the Quran that stands for moderation, centrism, balance and justice – a term reflecting the moderate spirit for their politics.
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Jerusalem Book Club
The Jerusalem Book Club is a joint project of an Israeli school situated in West Jerusalem (until July 2008 Boyar School, since September 2008 The Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance) and the Schmidt School, which is an acknowledged German school for Christian and Muslim Palestinian girls from East-Jerusalem and the West Bank. The Jerusalem Book Club consists of about 20 Israeli and Palestinian pupils and was established in order to give them the opportunity to come into regular contact with each other through the media of literature. The Book Club aims at providing the opportunity of establishing a relation ship between young people, through the shared reading and discussions about world literature.
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Ibrahim Abu-Lughod-Institute of International Studies (IALIIS)
The Ibrahim Abu-Lughod-Institute of International Studies (IALIIS) at Birzeit University is named after its late founding father, who established the Institute in 1998. Many of its students use their acquired skills in politics and diplomacy to pursue their careers with the Palestinian Authority or in the private sector. Together with its emphasis on establishing local, Arab and international ties, the Institute aims at the establishment of a dynamic and democratic Palestinian State.
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