__

which assumes that social change often begins with mothers. MT activities are focused on community work aimed at responding to the needs of the local community. The seven communities, Palestinian and Jewish, are all part of the same organizational network, but they act mainly on the local community level, and mostly do not engage in Jewish-Palestinian interaction. The organisation’s perception of Jewish-Palestinian partnership is based on common values of human rights, in an attempt to re-link the socio-economic conflict and the national conflict[1], often unlinked in Israeli mainstream thinking.

Despite difference in actual daily practice, the two organisations share some basic principles. Both organisations define themselves as Jewish-Palestinian partnerships, and are run jointly by two directors, Palestinian and Israeli (notably, women). Both view total equality as a pre-condition for bi-national partnership, a principle which they adhere to in their daily practice. Both emphasize social change and activism through empowerment and grassroots dialogue. Both emphasize working with marginalized communities, and engage in critical pedagogy from the school of Paulo Freire, which encourages participants to question and challenge hegemonic perceptions, and thus reveal various, sometimes hidden, modes

[1] Dor, T. & Wexler, M (Unpublished). National Identity, Conflict, and Partnership.