US embassy cable - 02AMMAN5823

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