The Director holds meetings in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Nablus, Gaza, and Ramallah in order to evaluate the current situation in the region after the Gaza war. 04 -11 September 2014

The Director, Oliver McTernan, has spent the past week holding meetings throughout Israel and the Palestinian Territories in order to evaluate the current situation in the region after the Gaza war.On arrival last Thursday he met in Tel Aviv with a group of the SHADES programme fellows including Israeli officials, American,  European and Egyptian diplomats. The discussion focused on the Forward Thinking approach to conflict resolution and mediation in conflict situations. On Sunday he held a similar meeting with the equivalent group in Ramallah involving Palestinian  officials, young entrepreneurs and European diplomats.  Meetings were also held in Nabulus with senior political figures and on Saturday with Dr Mahdi Abdul Hadi, the Director of Passia.  On Sunday in Jerusalem he met with members of the Knesset  before meeting senior Fatah members in Ramallah. On Monday and Tuesday he visited Gaza when he met with senior political and civil society leaders. Wednesday was spent in Jerusalem meeting with a number of European and regional ambassadors as well as a number of Forward Thinking partners. Today before returning to London he will meet with senior Israeli political leaders and ministers in Tel Aviv.These meetings have served to emphasise the fragility of the current situation and the risks of a return to open conflict as the world attention is focused on responding to threats elsewhere in the region.