Marie Pace

The Compassionate Listening Project: a Case Study in Citizen Diplomacy and Peacemaking Marie Pace

This is a case study of a citizen peacemaking effort called the Compassionate Listening Project. The project organizes delegations of north Americans?most but not all of whom are Jewish?on trips to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank with the intention of listening to a broad spectrum of positions and views on the conflict. Based on participant observations and in-depth interviews, this work looks at how citizens involved with this peace effort?those that go to listen and those they listen to?construct and reconstruct the meaning of conflict and peace through their words, behaviors and interactions. Descriptive narrative illuminates the experiences of those involved with this project, revealing how ordinary citizens grapple with the complexities and contradictions that arise in ethnic and identity-based conflicts, particularly as related to themes of reconciliation, justice and coexistence. Focused on the period marked by the disintegration of the peace process and the outbreak of the Second Intifada (1999-2000), it provides insight about a range of citizen attitudes, assumptions, beliefs and expectations leading up to the collapse.