• Capital: Disputed. Israel claims Jerusalem as its capital, but most countries have embassies in Tel Aviv.
• Area: 8,019 sq mi, slightly smaller than New Jersey. Hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas. Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley.
• Population: 5,938,093 (July 2001 est.).
• Gaza Strip: Israeli occupied territory with limited Palestinian self-government.
• Area:139 sq mi, mostly limestone hills.
• Population:1,178,119 (2001 est.)
• West Bank: Israeli occupied territory with areas of limited Palestinian self-government.
• Area: 2,263 sq mi, flat to rolling sand- and dune-covered coastal plain.
• Population: 2,090,713 (2001 est.) note: 176,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, about 6,900 in the Gaza Strip, about 20,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 2000 est.).
• Source: http://www.pbs.org/

Responding to a request by leaders of an Israeli and a Palestinian non-governmental organization, the National Peace Foundation (NPF) has joined the Institute of World Affairs (IWA) in preparing a plan for a three-to-five year program for dialogue involving leaders of youth organizations in both jurisdictions.

The program will draw on the NPF's decade of experience in functional peacebuilding in the South Caucasus and IWA's decade of similar work in the Middle East.

Functional peacebuilding means joint efforts to address common substantive problems -- such as education, jobs, humanitarian needs -- that affect parties on opposite sides of a conflict. The process begins even in the absence of formal peace agreements, involves all partners in identifying priority issues, then develops ways to deal with them together. The goal is to develop a viable, on-going citizen-based effort dedicated to peaceful co-existence and the development of strong civil societies.

Significant support has been committed directly to the Israeli and Palestinian organizations by the U.S. State Department's "Wye River" peacebuilding fund. National Peace Foundation members have contributed a first component match to these funds. The Papendreaou Foundation of Greece has joined IWA, NPF and the Palestinian and Israeli NGOs as a fifth partner. This organization will provide the venue and otherwise support the early meetings, the first of which took place in mid-November 2001 in Athens. NPF Vice Chairman Landis Jones, is taking the lead in this program, working with our colleague, IWA President Hrach Gregorian.

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