A group of four people, two men and two women, engaged in conversation with a woman wearing a headscarf on a rooftop overlooking a city with white buildings and hilly terrain.

Middle East

15 - 25 participants
2 - 3 week program

For decades, a long-stalled peace process, an expanding occupation, growing circles of grief and suffering, systemic inequality and increasingly entrenched narratives have shaped the realities of Israelis and Palestinians and reverberated far beyond the region.

Until 2023, CIEL offered immersive educational programs in Israel, Palestine and Jordan designed to help participants develop a deeper understanding of these realities and the historical, political and social forces that shaped them. Through direct engagement with people living and working across the region, participants examined the history of the peace process, competing national narratives, the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories, questions of security and violence and victimhood, and the profound impacts of grief, inequality, instability and ongoing violence that shaped everyday life.

CIEL programs sought to move beyond simplified or binary understandings of the region. Participants explored the impact of political, societal and legal structures on different communities; the role of regional and international actors; international law and the law of occupation; and the work of local civil society organizations and peacebuilders seeking to advance human rights, equality, justice and a shared future.

Programs included a preparatory online course covering the historical, cultural and political context of the region, followed by travel in Jordan, Israel and the West Bank (Palestine). Participants encountered the lived realities of the region firsthand and engaged with a broad range of people and perspectives, including Palestinian and Israeli civil society leaders, human rights advocates, peacebuilders, community leaders, refugees, academics, faith leaders, political figures and people directly affected by occupation and violence.

Since 2023, CIEL has halted travel to the region. We deeply hope that conditions will change for all those living in the region and that the future will bring justice, security and freedom for all. When it becomes possible to return, we hope once again to learn from local civil society and peacebuilding efforts, and to study how those working for peace and justice continue to navigate an extraordinarily difficult and evolving reality.

Cityscape view of a hilly urban area with numerous buildings, trees, and a clear blue sky, as seen from a rooftop with a satellite dish and water tank.
A group of business professionals wearing suits walking out of a building in an urban area, some holding water bottles and notebooks, under bright sunlight.
A man in a gray jacket speaking at a conference table surrounded by a diverse group of people taking notes and listening.
A formal meeting with numerous people seated around a rectangular table, with some standing at the back. There are professional microphones on the table, and pictures of two individuals on the wall behind the table. An Arab flag is visible on the right side of the wall.