Peace Talk: a relational approach to group negotiation among Arab and Israeli youths

In response to conflict in the Middle East, a group intervention for Arab and Jewish youths has been developed to promote communication and healing. Using ethnographic observations of this relational, group-based program, this study examines the complexities involved in peace negotiation group work. There was evidence that although this program is met with real-life challenges and oppositional forces, such as genuine danger in negotiation between Arabs and Jews, the program showed success in encouraging otherwise untenable communication. Using this program as a starting point, this study engages the wider issue of the inherent difficulties faced by interventions that pursue mutual empathy, empowerment, and conflict tolerance between individuals and groups that are historically and politically at odds.