Medbridge
 | |
| Founded | 2003 (Belgium), 2004 (France) |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit NGO |
| Location | |
| Services | Conferences, Seminars, Visits, Exhibition |
| Fields | Promoting dialogue and mutual understanding between Europe and the Middle-East |
Key people | Willy De Clercq, Marco Pannella, Ana Palacio, François Léotard,François Zimeray |
| Website | www.medbridge.org |
MedBridge is a European organization whose goal is to promote dialogue and mutual understanding between Europe and the Middle-East. Its aim is to unable European personalities willing to be informed on the Middle-East or to support Israeli-Arab peace efforts, to access the most direct, comprehensive and objective information possible on the political situation in the region.
MedBridge has been registered as a French non-profit organization since 2004[1]. The organization was created by European personalities from different political backgrounds, such as Willy De Clercq, Marco Pannella, Ana Palacio, François Léotard and François Zimeray [2].
Activities
Since its creation in 2003, the organization has initiated a dozen of international events: conferences, exhibitions, international meetings and visits of European parliamentarians and civil society representatives to the Middle-East[2].
Visits to the Middle-East
Medbridge has organized visits to the Middle-East for public leaders and decision-makers. About 500 parliamentarians, from 30 European countries, took part in these visits[2].
According to Israeli diplomat Yigal Palmor,in October 2003 the organization gathered the largest European parliamentary delegation that has ever visited the region[3]. 160 parliamentarians from 28 countries took part in the visit [4]. In January 2008, the delegation accompanied another large delegation of 60 parliamentarians from 21 European countries[5].
In addition to political visits, MedBridge has also initiated several visits for civil society representatives and opinion leaders. In June 2007, MedBridge organized a visit of French writers to the Middle-East in cooperation with Le Monde2 Magazine[6].
Personalities involved
Among the personalities who received the delegation of MedBridge are :[7] · [8] · [9]
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Among the personalities who took part in the delegations are:[7] · [8] · [9] · [6] · [10]
Other Acitivities
Medbridge has organized several conferences. In the past personalities such as Ehud Barak, Edith Cresson, Claude Goasguen, Antoine Sfeir, or Alexandre Adler took part in these[11][7].
MedBridge has also organized exhibitions, among others at the French Senate[2].
In 2005, MedBridge, in cooperation with the organization Hommes de Paroles, organized the first World Congress of Imams and Rabbis for Peace, gathering 100 imams and rabbis from all over the world under the patronage of Albert II of Belgium and Mohammed VI of Morocco[2].