The literature has paid considerable attention to the encounters and contradiction between ‘the international’ and ‘the local’ in peacebuilding processes. Studies have also assessed the knowledge schemes and socialization processes of international peacebuilders. My study complements these bodies of literature by focusing on the agency and experiences of local peacebuilders in conflict contexts. While familiar with and crucial for addressing these local contexts, local peacebuilders frequently face a number of constraints relative to their international colleagues. These can include: a lack of voice in the high politics and the international realm, limited opportunity to leave the conflict region, a lack of personal security, severe funding constraints, marginalisation by international peacebuilding efforts, and no (paid) professional status. In this paper, I investigate how local peacebuilder experience these difficult circumstances and which strategies they use to achieve personal security and regional peace. In order to do so, I draw on my fieldwork on ‘environmental education for peacebuilding’ initiatives in Israel and Palestine.
