Beginning in 2004, after the mainstream peace movement collapsed due in part to the outbreak of the second intifada, the author of this book, Maia Hallward, spent most of a year observing the work of seven such groups on both sides of the conflict. She returned in 2008 to examine the progress they had made in working for a just and lasting peace. Although small, these grassroots organizations provide valuable lessons regarding how peacebuilding takes place in times of ongoing animosity and violence. Examining both the changing context for peace activism and the processes through which seven Is ... More

Beginning in 2004, after the mainstream peace movement collapsed due in part to the outbreak of the second intifada, the author of this book, Maia Hallward, spent most of a year observing the work of seven such groups on both sides of the conflict. She returned in 2008 to examine the progress they had made in working for a just and lasting peace. Although small, these grassroots organizations provide valuable lessons regarding how peacebuilding takes place in times of ongoing animosity and violence. Examining both the changing context for peace activism and the processes through which seven Israeli and Palestinian groups operated, this book explores the social, cultural, political, and geographic boundaries that affect people's daily lives and the possibility of building a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians. The book goes beyond outlining potential peace settlements to investigate not only varying conceptions of peace held by players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also group processes that create the potential for a structural peace. Differentiating between “peace words” and “peace works,” the book analyzes observed group activities and patterns of behavior in addition to dozens of extended interviews. This text offers a critical look at the realities on the ground, one that focuses on what has been successful for groups engaged in working for peace in times of conflict, and how they have adapted to changing circumstances.