Israel

As violence between Israelis and Palestinians continues, few programs connect people from both sides of the conflict. Michelle (Michal) Miller is a project coordinator at Hebrew University’s Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace; she is currently working on the joint Israeli-Palestinian program “Women and Nonviolent Approaches to Conflict Resolution.” Through research, dialogue, and comparative community study, this program explores women’s attempts to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Ms. Miller was a parliamentary assistant to Former Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Naomi Chazan. Responsible for Professor Chazan’s English-language affairs, she coordinated interviews and public speaking engagements and assisted with the publication of articles and correspondence. Ms. Miller received a bachelor’s degree in international studies with an emphasis on the Middle East from Ohio State University and is currently completing her master’s degree in the same subject, with a focus on diplomacy and foreign policy, at Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Ms. Miller’s peace-building activities include:

• traveling to Northern Ireland as part of a joint Israeli-Palestinian delegation examining the management of divided cities, exploring opportunities for Belfast-Jerusalem cooperation;
• meeting with a cross section of Northern Ireland’s leaders and discussing issues relating to shared resources, equal opportunities, community training, humanization of the “other,” methods of dealing with violence, ex-prisoner assimilation, and the amendment of laws to reflect the needs of the entire population;
• presenting research findings on the role of women in grassroots and community-based organizations in conflicts resolution at the Truman Research Institute to academics, practitioners, and activists; and
• monitoring, intervening in, documenting, and publicizing at home and abroad the treatment and experiences of Palestinian civilians with regard to human rights at military checkpoints with Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch, an Israeli women’s human rights organization.

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