Peres Peace House
Since December 2009, the offices of the Peres Center for Peace are housed in the Peres Peace House in Ajami, a largely Arab neighborhood of Jaffa.
The Peres Peace House also contains the Shimon Peres archives, an auditorium and conference rooms, and will house a conflict resolution library. Many of the Peres Center's activities, including public lectures and coexistence activities take place within the Peres Peace House, as well as activities for the empowerment and development of the local Jaffa communities. These include legal aid services, community empowerment programs and a mentoring program for underprivileged children.
The cost of the center was estimated at $6 million and timeline of three years. According to Haaretz, as of August 2009, the cost and building time of the Peace House have been highly underestimated. The center was opened in December 2009. The building (2,500 sq.m.), a distinctive architectural landmark on the Jaffa coast next to the poor Arab neighborhood of Ajami, was designed by renowned Italian architect Massimiliano Fuksas.
Through the years the building was open to the use of the local Arab community and the center promoted projects to empower local groups and individuals. The first event held at the building was a graduation ceremony of 21 women, mostly Arab who graduated from a Women's Economic Empowerment Program and received their computer technician certificates.
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