Locational factors in citizen peace negotiations

The article offers a critical comparison between two extreme cases of the Minds of Peace Experiment: the Detroit round (May 2009) and the first round in Israel-Palestine (Beit Jala - August 2009). It explores the question of residential location in an age of globalization as influencing reconciliation prospects in intractable disputes. Most of the participants in Detroit were Israelis and Palestinians who lived for many years in the Diaspora, while the panellists in Beit Jala reside in Israel or the West Bank. The interactions between the participants and the outcomes of the two rounds differed markedly in ways traceable to contrasting perspectives on interests and agendas. Diaspora participants tended to value issues such as justice and refugee return, while those proximate to the conflict tended to emphasize relief of everyday local grievances. The article grapples with the effects of variables such as the length of time removed from the former homeland, circumstances of departure, the degree of continued contact, and differences of political systems. It explores in essence whether and in what sense the Diaspora might play a constructive role in the struggle to bring peace and stability to the Middle East.