Beth Konarski represented the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development at the Amman Message In Action Conference, held in Amman, Jordan. The conference of distinguished academics, religious leaders and dignitaries from the US and Arab World was hosted by the Jordanian Interfaith Coexistence Research Center. Father Nabil Haddad, a trusted partner and friend of the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development, heads the JICRC. The conference received the royal patronage of King Abdullah II.
During the visit of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to the US, we convened a meeting of high-level American and Arab academics, religious leaders, diplomats and leaders of civil society. This influential group discussed both the future and the history of Jerusalem candidly and respectfully. The ongoing Jerusalem Initiative is an important part of our work at the Institute for Middle East Peace and Development.
The 2006 edition of the Summit for Interfaith Respect was held in the spring of 2006. This 2006 summit built on the success of the previous year in brought together dedicated peacemakers of the three Abrahamic faiths. Guests participated in highly academic and difficult dialogue regarding the history and the future of interfaith relations.
The Institute for Middle East Peace & Development was established by President Stephen P. Cohen in 1979 at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York with the help of then U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance. At the urging of Moshe Dayan, the Israeli Foreign Minister at that time, and Egyptian Foreign Minister Boutros Boutros Ghali, Dr. Stephen P. Cohen founded the Institute to serve as a venue for confidential, Track II Arab-Israeli dialogue. The Institute created the Business Group for Middle East Peace & Development, the first group of prominent Arab and Jewish businessmen cooperating on political and economic efforts in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Institute was also a pioneer in bringing together major social scientists from Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian universities for collaborative research, including the groundbreaking Images in Conflict Project. At the Institute, Dr. Cohen convened the first secret official negotiations between Israel and the PLO in mid 1980's, years before Oslo, under the supervision of Chairman Arafat and Shimon Peres. In recent years, he has also been organizing confidential discussions with Syria's leadership. The Institute is a registered charity in Canada and an independent 501(c)(3) in the United States.