Young Palestinian women from Gaza in a workshop organised by CMI and Masarat, May 2023. Photo: Mahmoud Al Borbar
Amid the escalating Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2023, CMI provided expert advice to the EU on the Middle East peace process and strengthened the political participation of Palestinian women.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict experienced a major military escalation in October 2023, leading to a deadly war in the Gaza Strip with significant implications for regional and international security. This has refocused the international community’s attention on the urgency of finding a comprehensive political solution to the conflict.
At the regional level, CMI – in a consortium with the European Institute of Peace (EIP) – is providing expert advice to the EU Special Representative (EUSR) for the Middle East Peace Process (MEPP). The aim is to support the EU’s Peace Day Effort for a comprehensive regional peace launched in September 2023. The inclusion of women’s expertise and voices, which are otherwise not heard in formal discussions, is a key feature of CMI’s project. CMI has provided the EUSR with recommendations from a wide range of experts on a possible package of incentives for the parties, focusing in particular on elements related to trade, investment, energy, climate, environment, water, connectivity, tourism and food security, among others, that could advance a political solution.
In Palestine, in 2023, CMI and its partner, Masarat – The Palestinian Center for Policy Research & Strategic Studies, developed a policy paper, Toward an Effective Approach for Ending the Palestinian Division, informed by consultations and dialogues. Since 2007, Palestinian political life has been divided not only between the two main factions, Hamas and Fatah, but also internally, and the paper provides recommendations for a path towards Palestinian unity. Its findings remain highly relevant as the international community seeks solutions to Palestinian governance.
In addition, CMI worked with Masarat to create a space for political dialogue among a diverse range of women actors, thereby strengthening their agency in addressing political issues. Following the war in Gaza, the network created has also been active in joint advocacy. In late 2023, CMI refocused its efforts to ensure better inclusion of women’s views in post-war political arrangements. In 2023, CMI and Masarat further opened new spaces for political engagement between Palestinian youth and established political and civil society actors.
This article was published in CMI’s 2023 annual report.