INFORMAL — BUT SERIOUS
Participants engage outside formal negotiations while treating the conversation with professional and diplomatic discipline.
FEATURED INITIATIVE · CIVIC DIPLOMACY
Iraq–Israel Track II Dialogue
A civic channel for trust-building, structured dialogue and future Iraqi–Israeli engagement.
Formal diplomatic relationships are not the only way societies begin to understand one another. The Iraq–Israel Track II Dialogue creates space for independent civic actors, researchers, educators, professionals, community voices and trusted intermediaries to explore questions that official channels may not yet be positioned to address.
Its purpose is not to simulate government negotiations or claim diplomatic authority. It is to create a serious, structured and responsible environment where communication can begin, relationships can develop and ideas for future cooperation can be examined.
INDEPENDENT CIVIC DIPLOMACY · TRACK II ENGAGEMENT · STRUCTURED DIALOGUE
01IRAQ
TRACK IIDIALOGUELISTEN · CLARIFY · CONNECT
02ISRAEL
INTERNATIONALPOLICYACADEMICEXPERTTRACK IICIVIC01 · THE CHANNEL
What is Track II dialogue?
Track II diplomacy refers to unofficial engagement conducted outside formal government-to-government negotiations. It can bring together people with knowledge, influence, professional experience or civic credibility who are able to discuss difficult issues with greater flexibility than official institutions sometimes permit.
The value of Track II is not that it replaces diplomacy. It can help create the human relationships, intellectual space and communication channels from which diplomacy may eventually benefit.
RELATIONSHIP-CENTERED
The first objective is often not agreement. It is creating enough trust for meaningful disagreement and sustained communication to become possible.
FUTURE-ORIENTED
Track II allows participants to explore possibilities before political conditions necessarily exist to implement them.
02 · WHY IT MATTERS
Why create an Iraqi–Israeli Track II channel?
Decades of political distance can produce limited direct contact, incomplete knowledge, persistent stereotypes, few trusted communication channels and little opportunity to test assumptions. A civic dialogue channel cannot resolve these conditions by itself — but it can begin working on the underlying problem: people who rarely speak directly cannot easily understand one another.
Reduce misperception
Direct conversation allows participants to test assumptions against real people rather than inherited narratives.
Create communication channels
A functioning relationship provides a way to ask questions, clarify misunderstandings and remain in contact when circumstances become difficult.
Build civic trust
Trust does not mean political agreement. It means developing enough confidence in the process and in one another to continue talking honestly.
Explore future possibilities
Track II provides a space where participants can examine areas of cooperation without pretending that political agreement already exists.
03 · THE DIALOGUE ARCHITECTURE
How the track works
The process is designed around gradual relationship-building rather than immediate political outcomes.
LISTEN
Understand how participants describe their own societies, identities, concerns and aspirations.
Dialogue begins with hearing people in their own words.
CONVENE
Bring together small groups around clearly defined subjects where meaningful discussion is possible.
The quality of the room matters more than the size of the room.
EXCHANGE
Discuss difficult questions without requiring participants to begin from the same assumptions.
Serious dialogue must allow disagreement.
BUILD TRUST
Create continuity through repeated contact, professional conduct and respect for participant boundaries.
Trust is cumulative.
INCUBATE IDEAS
Identify areas where civic, educational, cultural, scientific or professional engagement may be possible.
Dialogue becomes more valuable when it generates constructive possibilities.
DEVELOP OUTCOMES
Where appropriate, translate discussion into research, introductions, briefings, projects or future engagement pathways.
Conversation should be capable of producing useful next steps.
04 · THE PARTICIPANT CONSTELLATION
Who could participate?
The Track is designed as a multi-layer civic dialogue environment. Participation may include people from fields such as:
TRACK II
DIALOGUE
Civil societyResearchersEducatorsProfessionalsInterfaith voicesYoung leadersDiaspora communitiesRegional peace networks05 · PRIORITY DIALOGUE THEMES
What could the Track discuss?
The initiative can convene conversations around subjects where knowledge, human contact and long-term thinking are particularly valuable.
CIVIC TRUST
How can Iraqis and Israelis develop greater familiarity with one another outside government channels?
Explore theme →CULTURE & MEMORY
What shared, intersecting and contested histories need to be better understood?
Explore theme →RELIGION & ABRAHAMIC DIALOGUE
How can religious memory and ethical traditions become resources for encounter rather than division?
Explore theme →EDUCATION
How can educational exchange reduce social distance and create informed future generations?
Explore theme →SCIENCE & PROFESSIONAL EXCHANGE
Where might researchers, specialists and professionals eventually find practical common ground?
Explore theme →REGIONAL COOPERATION
How might Iraqi–Israeli civic relationships interact with wider regional networks of dialogue and cooperation?
Explore theme →TRUST
ARCHITECTUREAGENCY · PRIVACY · CONTINUITY
06 · TRUST ARCHITECTURE
Serious dialogue requires infrastructure for trust.
Opening a channel is easier than maintaining one. The Track therefore treats process design as seriously as subject matter.
PARTICIPANT AGENCY
Participants should understand the format, purpose and boundaries of an engagement before entering it.
APPROPRIATE CONFIDENTIALITY
Some conversations may benefit from privacy so participants can explore ideas responsibly without unnecessary public pressure. Confidentiality should never be assumed where it has not been agreed.
MODERATED ENGAGEMENT
Sensitive discussions benefit from facilitation that keeps conversation substantive, respectful and focused.
NON-OFFICIAL STATUS
The Track does not speak for governments and does not represent official Iraqi or Israeli diplomacy.
INTELLECTUAL HONESTY
Participants should be able to disagree directly without reducing one another to stereotypes or slogans.
CONTINUITY
Trust rarely develops from a single meeting. Relationships become meaningful through repeated, reliable engagement.
07 · DIALOGUE PRINCIPLES
The channel is guided by six principles.
Listen before persuading.
Understanding another position does not require adopting it.
People are not governments.
Citizens and societies cannot be reduced entirely to state policy.
Dialogue does not require agreement.
A serious conversation must be capable of containing disagreement.
Curiosity is strategically valuable.
Questions often open channels that arguments close.
Participant dignity matters.
Constructive engagement requires respect for identity, experience and boundaries.
Relationships require time.
Trust cannot be manufactured through a single event.
08 · DIALOGUE SCENARIOS
What could a functioning Track II channel make possible?
These are illustrative pathways, not claims of existing partnerships or guaranteed outcomes.
SCENARIO 01
Civic Bridge-Building
A small group of Iraqi and Israeli civic actors begins a moderated dialogue focused on how each society understands the other. Initial conversations identify common misconceptions. Later sessions move toward education, cultural exchange and community engagement.
SCENARIO 02
Interfaith Engagement
Religious scholars, educators and civic voices examine Abrahamic memory, ethical responsibility and the role of faith communities in reducing hostility. The purpose is not theological uniformity. It is to identify traditions and narratives capable of supporting respectful encounter.
SCENARIO 03
Practical Cooperation Dialogue
Researchers and professionals discuss a shared regional challenge such as water, climate resilience, agriculture or technology. The dialogue begins as knowledge exchange rather than a formal project. Where sufficient confidence develops, participants may explore future collaborative possibilities.
09 · OUTCOME SIGNALS
What would progress look like?
The Track should not manufacture success through artificial statistics. Until real participation data exists, progress should be assessed through meaningful signals.
CHANNELS
New relationships exist through which communication can continue.
CONTINUITY
Participants return for additional conversations rather than treating dialogue as a one-time encounter.
UNDERSTANDING
Participants develop a more informed picture of one another’s societies and perspectives.
CONNECTIONS
Dialogue produces responsible introductions between relevant people or institutions.
IDEAS
Participants identify constructive subjects worth exploring further.
COOPERATION
Where conditions permit, dialogue begins generating practical civic, academic, scientific or professional possibilities.
10 · FROM DIALOGUE TO POSSIBILITY
A Track II channel can create a progression.
No contact
First conversation
Repeated engagement
Personal trust
Professional connection
Shared exploration
Possible cooperation
The process is not automatic. It can stop, reverse or move unevenly. But without an initial channel, none of the later stages are possible.
11 · MANIFESTO
Dialogue is not a concession. It is infrastructure for the future.
Communication does not erase disagreement. It creates the possibility of understanding disagreement accurately. Trust does not require political uniformity. It creates enough confidence for relationships to survive difficult questions. And engagement does not predict what future Iraqi–Israeli relations will become. It simply refuses to assume that permanent distance is the only possible future.
12 · THE INTERNATIONAL ROOM
From civic conversation to international engagement
Track II work does not exist in isolation. Where appropriate, insights and relationships emerging from civic dialogue can connect with the wider international environment. The purpose is not to convert private conversations automatically into public advocacy. It is to ensure that constructive Iraqi–Israeli civic engagement has a credible pathway into wider regional and international conversations when participants choose to take it there.
Diplomatic communities
Research institutions
Civil society networks
Universities
Regional peace organizations
Diaspora communities
Policy specialists
13 · INSTITUTIONAL CONTEXT
An independent civic diplomacy channel
The Iraq–Israel Track II Dialogue is presented within the civic-diplomacy work of The Virtual Embassy of Iraq in Israel. The initiative is independent and non-governmental. It does not claim diplomatic status, government representation or negotiating authority. Its role is narrower — and deliberately so: create channels, support introductions, improve understanding and explore future diplomatic possibilities through responsible civic engagement.
14 · DIALOGUE ROOM
What could a dialogue session look like?
Private Roundtable
Expert Exchange
Civic Listening Room
International Briefing
Digital Dialogue
Exploratory Working Group
15 · FUTURE CONCEPTS
Where the Track could evolve
These concepts are aspirational and should be presented as such.
Iraq–Israel Civic Dialogue Series
Recurring moderated conversations around society, identity and regional futures.
Young Leaders Track
A structured dialogue environment for emerging Iraqi and Israeli civic and professional voices.
Expert Dialogue Network
A network connecting researchers and professionals around shared regional challenges.
Abrahamic Dialogue Room
A dedicated interfaith and ethical conversation format.
Diaspora Connection Forum
Dialogue involving communities whose personal and family histories cross Iraq, Israel and the wider region.
Regional Track II Table
An expanded framework connecting Iraqi–Israeli civic dialogue with other regional peace networks.
16 · QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
Is this official diplomacy?
No. The Iraq–Israel Track II Dialogue is a non-governmental civic initiative and does not represent either government.
What does “Track II” mean?
Track II diplomacy generally refers to unofficial dialogue involving non-governmental actors, experts, civic figures or other participants who can explore issues outside formal diplomatic negotiations.
Does participation mean supporting normalization or a particular political position?
No. Participation means engaging in dialogue. Participants may hold very different political views.
Who can participate?
Depending on the dialogue format, participants could include civil-society figures, researchers, educators, professionals, interfaith voices, diaspora members and other relevant civic actors.
Are conversations public?
That depends on the format. Some activities may be public. Others may require a degree of privacy or confidentiality agreed in advance by participants.
Is the Track intended to negotiate political agreements?
No. It does not have governmental authority or a negotiating mandate. Its purpose is civic dialogue, relationship-building and exploration.
What does success look like?
Success could include better understanding, sustained communication, trusted relationships, useful introductions and credible opportunities for future engagement.
Can dialogue lead to practical cooperation?
Potentially. Where relationships, expertise and circumstances support it, dialogue may identify areas worthy of deeper exploration. Any such cooperation should be represented accurately according to its real status.
17 · FINAL CHANNEL
IRAQ ↔ ISRAEL
A channel cannot guarantee peace. But peace is impossible without channels.
The Iraq–Israel Track II Dialogue begins with a modest proposition: people should be able to speak directly, understand one another more accurately and explore what might become possible through sustained engagement. That is where the work begins.
Independent · Non-governmental · Civic · Dialogue-led
