The framework of peace-building in Palestine and Ireland is profoundly problematic in the context of continued colonization. Over the last few years, western donors and policymakers have been reviving peace-building in Palestine through people-to-people projects. Using the Irish peace process as a model, they argue that dialogue between two sides is the only way forward, obscuring the power asymmetries between Palestinians and Israelis. Why are these initiatives being revived? How and why is the notion of “embedded peace” in Northern Ireland being exported to Palestine?

Join Al-Shabaka’s Commissioning Editor, Nadim Bawalsa, in conversation with Al-Shabaka’s Senior Analyst, Yara Hawari, and Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution at Trinity College, Dublin, Brendan Ciaran Browne, to investigate these questions and more.

Dr. Yara Hawari is the Senior Analyst of Al-Shabaka. She completed her PhD in Middle East Politics at the University of Exeter. She is a frequent political commentator writing for various media outlets including The Guardian, Foreign Policy, and Al Jazeera English.

Dr. Brendan Ciarán Browne is Assistant Professor of Conflict Resolution at Trinity College Dublin. He has published extensively in different academic journals and media outlets, including the Third World Quarterly, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, The Irish Times, and The Globe Post.

Nadim Bawalsa is Al-Shabaka’s Commissioning Editor. He is a historian of modern Palestine and has written on the emergence of Palestinian diaspora communities across Latin America in the early twentieth century.

About the Policy Lab Program: Al-Shabaka's Policy Lab Program is an online live-stream space where audiences can engage directly with expert analysts from our nearly 200-member network as they craft policies and strategies related to Palestine. The labs are free and open for public participation, inviting viewers to join in on policy discussions.

Note: This discussion will take place in English. Our policy labs are supported through the generosity of donors. They are free to attend, though we accept contributions on a sliding scale upon registration to help sustain the program.

The opinions of individual members of Al-Shabaka’s policy network do not necessarily reflect the views of the organization as a whole.

Exposing Colonial Peace-Building from Palestine to Ireland