Minds of Peace is an organization established in Israel in 2010 by Dr. Sapir Handelman, a scholar in conflict resolution, who started the same activity as pilot project while studying in the US. The purpose of Minds of Peace is very simple, which is to bring about peace between Israel and the Palestinians by using a method called “Popular Negotiations”. Under this method, a negotiating session is being held between Israelis and Palestinians who come from all walks of life. The negotiations are held in open space, so as to allow the ordinary public to witness the whole process. In the process, the negotiators formulate the kind of agreement they wish to see for ending the conflict.
The agreement reaches serves twofold purpose. It is presented to public opinion in order to demonstrate that ordinary individuals can reach an agreement where politicians failed. It is also presented to politicians on both sides as a means of pressure to reach an agreement.