The Argumentation for Contemporary Peacemaking Efforts According to Jewish Tradition

Peace is a key concept in the Jewish tradition; it has a long history. It is also an extremely broad concept. The present article takes on the subject of contemporary peace between Israel and her neighbors, addressing the issue from the vantage point of Judaism. While opinions on many issues are divided in Judaism today, all streams within the Jewish tradition uphold the concept of peace. Even so, each stream supports a somewhat different version of this ideal, subject to different limitations or reservations. One of the most serious challenges which Judaism today faces in connection with the State of Israel is the issue of exchanging territories for peace. The goal of the present paper is to show that while most approaches rooted in traditional Judaism have opposed such an exchange, Israel＇s religious political parties have endorsed it, advancing different arguments in support of their view. The method followed in the present paper is to study the arguments which have been used in support of peace agreements based on return or exchange of land. In light of the arguments put forth in the paper, to be counted among the accomplishments is a greater degree of openness--even on the part of the religious sector in Israel--toward the effort to achieve peace between Israel and her neighbors.

Mediating Political Space for Opposition Parties in the Ethiopian Political System： A Conceptual Framework

This conceptual paper proposes a framework for a mediated political-space in the Ethiopian political system that is based on truth and justice. The framework draws from the traditional Ethiopian SheglinaJmediation system as well as from the current state of the mediation art and science in order to facilitate peaceful conflict resolution process between the government of Ethiopia and the alternative political parties as well as among and between the alternative parties themselves. Seven positive steps that the government of Ethiopia may consider to take to create conducive environment for peacemaking are outlined. To actualized what is being proposed in this concept paper, three teams of mediators/shemagles are to be organized; Team one＇s role is to work with the government for inside-out negotiation and similarly Team two＇s role is to work with the alternative parties. A third Team is dedicated to instilling values of professionalism and integrity in public services and ensuring the future sustainability of Ethiopia＇s public institutions by offering the educational values of alternative dispute resolutions and peacemaking to the general public.