MARQUETTE, Mich.—Jeff Helsing and Peter Weinberger of the United States Institute  of Peace will give a free presentation titled “Prospects for Peace Between Palestinians and Israelis: Improving or Declining?” at Northern Michigan University. The event is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 30, in the West Science Building’s Mead Auditorium.

            With the re-launch of negotiations between leaders of the Palestinian Authority and Israel raising the stakes, Helsing and Weinberger will address the key issues that make this conflict so difficult and seemingly intractable.

            Helsing is the dean of curriculum in USIP's Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. He has been responsible for many of the Institute's faculty and teacher workshops as well as curriculum development in the United States and in conflict zones abroad, particularly in the Middle East. For the past eight years, Helsing has worked with groups in Israel and the Palestinian Authority training educators, non-governmental organization (NGO) workers, university students and young leaders in developing conflict resolution, nonviolence, human rights and communication and facilitation skills.

            Weinberger is a senior program officer in USIP's Academy for International Conflict Management and Peacebuilding. His primary focus at the Academy is on how to best deal with ethnic, religious and tribal groups when rebuilding countries after war and conflict. He additionally works to identify best practices for peace processes—how  to promote trust and ensure that agreements are fully implemented. Weinberger's research bridges the local and international elements of post-conflict reconstruction. He is a specialist on divided societies and has worked with various NGOs in the Balkans, the Middle East and Northern Ireland.

            The United States Institute of Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, national institution established and funded by Congress. Its goals are to help prevent and resolve violent international conflicts; promote post-conflict stability and development; and increase conflict management capacity, tools and intellectual capital worldwide.