Introduction to the Irish peace process; 21st January 2021

On 21st January 2021, Forward Thinking facilitated an online introduction to the Irish peace process with a group of prominent Israeli jurists. The group is led by Elyakim Rubenstein, a former Vice President of the Supreme Court of Israel and a key negotiator in the Israel-Egypt and Israel-Jordan peace deals.  Professor John Brewer, Queen’s University Belfast, and Peter Sheridan, CEO of Cooperation Ireland and former Assistant Chief Constable with the PSNI, led the discussions. They included a historical overview of the conflict and Irish peace process; the role the judicial and legal system played in shaping the conflict, and spoke about the importance of the concept of justice between different communities pre- and post- the signing of the 1998 Good Friday/Belfast Agreement.The exchange successfully provided the Israeli group a better understanding of the differences and potential parallels to their own conflict. Forward Thinking will continue to work with this group to develop practical ideas emerging out of the conversation.