The day before the first Sunday of Advent, I spent together with some staff members at the Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem, in preparation for the annual Christmas market in Bethlehem. To the aromas of gingerbread and candy cane rods, we tied little red bows around bags of Swedish candy and angel chimes. And outside the window Jerusalem spread out in all its, for the day, sun-kissed sheen. Not difficult to get into some Christmas spirit in that setting.
Last summer, the Folke Bernadotte Academy arranged a seminar in Almedalen on Israel, Palestine and the way forward. In an interview FBA did with Johanna Strömquist, Deputy Consul General at Consulate General of Sweden in Jerusalem, we asked how she viewed developments in the near future. She replied that she unfortunately thought that difficult times was to be awaited before it got better. A few weeks later, fighting that would change the tone again, broke out.
Last week, the Folke Bernadotte Academy was on a visit to talk about state-building with parts of the Palestinian authorities. It’s easy to fall in abstract terms, but it’s also easy to fall into the technical aspects, when talking about state-building. There is no exception in this context.
When talking about the key players in state-building it´s often said that the national police is part of the spine. That the police symbolizes the state’s relationship with its citizens and is implementing its strategies. How the security sector is perceived among the population is often a good thermometer in the public democratic dialogue.
The Palestinian police are facing a number of challenges. Some obvious, others more elusive for an external visitor. In our conversations with official representatives from e.g. the civilian Palestinian police, the map spreads out. Literally, in view of the upcoming reconciliation process between the West Bank and Gaza, but also in state-building terms.
When we return home, we have with us a number of new insights on how complex it can be. And above all, an acknowledgment that each situation is unique and has its own conditions. To say that you are working at a Swedish agency that carries the name of Folke Bernadotte in this part of the world, creates a certain feeling. His works still echoes in Israel’s history, as in Palestine’s.
That is a feeling I take with me into 2015.
Photo: Hanna Högberg
av Lisa Ljungström
Lisa är ansvarig projektledare för FBA:s bilaterala strategiuppdrag i Liberia. Hon har jobbat med frågor som rör säkerhetssektorreform (SSR) sedan 2010, bland annat som samordnare av SSR-frågor på svenska ambassaden i Monrovia. Tidigare har hon även arbetat på UD i Stockholm samt på svenska FN-representationen i New York. Uppvuxen i Sjötorp i Västergötland och med utbildning från Uppsala universitet.
Today’s world is one of evolving conflicts and political unrest. In 2023, more conflicts were ongoing than at any time since the end of World War II. Global conflict dynamics have shifted due to new geopolitical tensions, technological advancements, hybrid threats and climate change. This has fundamentally reshaped the operational landscape for FBA and other […]
FBA:s forskningsteam har analyserat trender som kommer att påverka globala konflikter och arbetet för fred under de kommande fem åren.
Working in Ukraine as it fights to survive a full-scale invasion is a humbling experience for those of us in peace, security, and development. It challenges our methods and assumptions, and reinforces the need for adaptable, innovative solutions. Many of FBA’s tools focus on long-term reform processes, inclusive dialogue, policy advice, mentorship, and education. But […]
As part of an international team negotiating to end a violent conflict in a Muslim-majority country, a stark realization hit us – we were talking past each other, as if we inhabited two separate worlds. Concepts that resonated effortlessly in international circles – human rights, fundamental freedoms, democracy, secular societies – seemed to bounce off […]