During the 2023-24 winter term, Shiho Takechi, then a first-year undergraduate student at ICU, applied for a grant from JICUF on behalf of the Japan Israel Palestine Student Conference (JIPSC) and was awarded ¥600,000. ICU students played a key role in founding JIPSC in 2003, and for over 20 years, JIPSC has facilitated dialogue between Israeli and Palestinian students and raised awareness of the Israel-Palestine conflict in Japan. Each year, JIPSC invites young people from both regions to Japan, providing a rare opportunity to hold difficult conversations. This year, eight young people from both regions are scheduled to visit Japan in August. The JICUF grant will cover a part of their travel expenses to Japan, as well as accommodation and transportation within Japan.

JIPSC member Hikari Hirata, a fourth-year student at ICU, who recently completed an exchange program at the University of East Anglia and visited the JICUF office in New York, shared her thoughts with us.

Why Provide an Opportunity for Dialogue in Japan Now?
In Israel and Palestine, opportunities for interaction between the two populations are very limited due to prolonged conflict, the construction of barriers, and restriction of movement. Some past participants have shared that they had never met a Palestinian until attending the conference, or that the only Israelis they knew were soldiers. We believe that this lack of interaction leads to prejudice and creates a roadblock to conflict resolution. This is why JIPSC continues to invite young people from both regions to Japan and provide a space for them to engage in challenging dialogue with the hope of contributing to peace.

Details of This Year’s Conference 

• Dates: August 17 (Saturday) – August 31 (Saturday), 2024 
• Locations: Fukuoka and Tokyo 
• Participants (planned): 4 Jewish Israelis, 4 Palestinians (1 from East Jerusalem, 3 from the West Bank), and 10 Japanese (all under 30 years old) 
• Schedule (planned): August 17-26: Participants arrive in Japan and stay in Fukuoka. Activities include visits to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum and discussions on peace. August 27-31: Move to Tokyo for sightseeing, cultural programs, and farewell party.

During the conference, Japanese, Israeli, and Palestinian youth will live together for two weeks and share each other’s thoughts on the conflict and personal experiences. We will also provide opportunities for participants to learn about war and reconstruction in Japan, including a visit to the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Museum and a lecture by survivors of the atomic bomb.

Thoughts on This Year’s Conference
Given the severe deterioration of the situation in the region, we debated whether or not to hold this year’s conference. In the end, we decided to proceed with the belief that creating a space for dialogue against such a backdrop was deeply meaningful. In the past, JIPSC has held conferences during trying times, including when the IDF withdrew from Gaza in 2005 or invaded Gaza in 2014. We felt that it was crucial to provide a platform for young people who wished to continue to communicate in the face of numerous political, historical, social, and cultural challenges. This belief remains unchanged this year, when local conditions are among the worst in the history of our organization. This year, we received more applicants than ever, which is testament to the fact that young people in the region have not lost hope and still wish to engage in conversation.

Crowdfunding
Impacted by inflation and the weak yen, we have decided to supplement our funds through crowdfunding for this year’s conference. Our goal is to raise ¥950,000, which will cover part of the airfare for Israeli and Palestinian participants (approximately ¥200,000 per person). If total donations fall short of our target by the deadline, we will need to cut the number of participants. 

For more details, please visit our crowdfunding website: https://readyfor.jp/projects/141905?sns_share_token=

How You Can Support Us

1. Crowdfunding: You can make a minimum donation of ¥2,000. Your name (or nickname) and message of support will be publicly displayed. Please note that a 10% service fee will be deducted by the management site (ReadyFor), so the full amount will not reach JIPSC.
2. Direct bank transfer to our group account: You can directly transfer any amount to our group’s bank account. 100% of your support will be used for organizing the 2024 conference. 

If you donate ¥10,000 or more, you will be invited to a webinar hosted by the NGO Combatants for Peace, which promotes peace in Israel and Palestine. If you donate ¥50,000 or more, you will have the opportunity to interact with conference participants by joining them for sightseeing or meals. Before you make a transfer, please fill out this form or contact our organization via email (jipsc.since2003@gmail.com) with your name and the name used for the transfer.

Bank: Mitsubishi UFJ Bank
Branch: Musashisakai
Type: Regular
Account number:  0054765
Account name: Japan Israel Palestine Student Conference (日本イスラエルパレスチナ学生会議ニホンイスラエルパレスチナガクセイカイギ)

Thank you for your consideration!