Besides the attendance of a NSU (Negotiation Support Unit) briefing about the major negotiation issues between Israel and the Palestinians, the delegation also met with the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Riad Maliki. The RCDS-delegation was given the opportunity to learn about the current stage of the negotiations with Israel and the upcoming Annapolis conference. Maliki considers the summit as a start of a long negotiation process, which should contain a distinct time schedule in order to provide a serious prospect for the Palestinians. This is essential to maintain the support of the Palestinians for the moderate course of President Abbas. Despite these difficulties the Palestinian delegation views the Annapolis conference with a positive attitude. Maliki faced up to the questions of the delegation concerning the controversial negotiation issues and provided new insights in all the various facets of the Near East conflict. Concluding, on behalf of the RCDS-delegation, Matthias Kutsch expressed his hopes for a successful outcome of the Annapolis conference.

During the following meeting with the Resident Representative of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories, Thomas Birringer, mainly political topics were discussed. The political parties in the Palestinian Autonomous Territories and the activities of the foundation in the field of enhancing democracy and the rule of law were of the student’s interest.

The focus of the seminar part was a meeting with the executive committee of the Baader Youth Network (BYN) in Ar-Ram, a suburb of Jerusalem. Most of the members of the BYN are students themselves. Therefore, the conversations concentrated on the work experiences within the German student associations.

The Baader Youth Network (BYN) is a joint youth initiative of the International Peace and Cooperation Center (IPCC) and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Ramallah. It aims at promoting the role of the youth in the democratic process, to develop the youths' leadership skills in decision-making, and to assist in the building of a pluralistic and viable Palestinian civil society. The project aspires at generating a strong youth leadership able to translate the needs and demands of the youth into the political agenda. Several members of the BYN have met members of the RCDS federal board throughout a study trip to Germany during the summer.

The RCDS-delegation asked specific questions about the problems and goals of the Palestinian youth. Considering the fact that the BYN is a relatively new organization which is about to establish an interest group for the Palestinian youth, the exchange with the experienced German student representatives was of great importance for the Palestinian youths. Both sides agreed on a further exchange and the next meeting during the planned trip to Germany in 2008. Moreover the meeting with the German students gave the members of the BYN the opportunity to explain difficulties of their living conditions as well as the political situation caused by the local separating barrier that divides Ar-Ram.

The informative program was completed by a discussion with the representative of the German Protestant Church (EKD) in the Holy Land, Probst Dr. Uwe Graebe, who talked about the situation of the Christian minority in Israel and the Palestinian Autonomous Territories. The concerns about the continuity of a nameable Christian community mentioned by Probst Graebe were shared by the RCDS-delegation.

The meetings and discussions with representatives of politics and youth projects gave the participants of the RCDS-delegation the possibility to learn about the various facets of the Palestinian society. They also extended their understanding and knowledge about the complexity of the Near East conflict and made numerous new connections on the Palestinian side.