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Religious Coexistence Initiatives

by Marc Frings
On February 7, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Palestinian Territories welcomed the executive board of the International Council for Christian and Jews (ICCJ) in Ramallah. The group toured Israel and the Palestinian Territories, while focusing on "Religious Coexistence Initiatives" during their meetings. The ICCJ acts as the umbrella organization for more than 40 national Christian-Jewish dialogue organizations worldwide and is committed to the peaceful coexistence of the three Abrahamic religions. As part of their consultations, the group visited KAS office in Ramallah and benefited from its political and civil society network.

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The International Councils for Christian and Jews (ICCJ) during a briefing at the KAS office in Ramallah

With an initial focus on promoting religious coexistence of various groups within the Israeli society, our program manager Johannes Lutz gave a first insight into the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian relations, offering a new perspective; from a Palestinian perspective, religion plays a secondary but yet important role in bilateral relations with Israel.

Marc Frings giving a political briefing on the general situation in the Palestinian Territories at a joint dinner

Inès Abdel Razek-Faoder, a former political adviser to the Prime Minister's Office, gave a valuable insight into the complex political situation on the ground, especially with regards to the younger generation. While focusing on "equal rights for all," she also advocated the right of Jewish self-determination and the two-state solution. In addition, Iman Haddad, pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran church in Ramallah, presented his perspective on interreligious dialogue, focusing on examples of his church, which promotes various dialogue programs.

Later that day, the director of KAS Palestine Marc Frings gave a political briefing on the general situation in the Palestinian Territories at a joint dinner. During the briefing, it became clear that while there is still hope for a peaceful solution to the conflict, all actors must make compromises. The subsequent discussion highlighted the important role of interreligious dialogue between all parties.

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