OneVoice Blog, Empowering Israeli and Palestinian Citizens Against Violent Extremism

Update: One Million Voices to End the Conflict

One Million Voices to End the Conflict

On October 18, 2007, OneVoice will host the largest ever simultaneous gathering of Israelis & Palestinians, satellite-linked to events worldwide – A People’s Summit, announcing the people as critical actors in the conflict resolution process, and demanding progress from elected representatives toward an end to the conflict.

RECENT HIGHLIGHTS:

• Mary Robinson, the first female President of Ireland (1990-97); former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (1997-2002), signs on as Honorary Co-Chair for One Million Voices to End the Conflict
• Jason Alexander, actor and longtime supporter of OneVoice, agrees to lend his support to the October 18th People’s Summit
• Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator, joins OneVoice Palestine’s Board of Advisors, and agrees to be involved in the Jericho Summit on October 18th

OUTREACH UPDATE:

• Confirmed co-chairs include Professor Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum, and Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland.
• We are approaching His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Elie Wiesel, Walter Cronkite and Tony Blair, among others
• Religious leaders who have agreed to bless the event and participate include: Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, Rabbi David Rosen, Palestinian Chief Islamic Justice Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi, and Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks
• In conjunction with Producers Michael Lang, Chris Wangro, Shuki Weiss, & George Ibrahim, OneVoice is in the process of recruiting and signing contracts with the top Palestinian, Israeli, & international performers.

EVENT UPDATE:

• All locations have been finalized and permits have been secured for each venue.  The events will be free and open to the public; the only price of admission will be signing the OneVoice Mandate.
• Some of the talent we've been working to bring on board: Peter Gabriel, Ilham Madfai, Stand Up for Peace, Yoko Ono, Soulfege, Machina, Shalom Hanoch, Reem Telhami, Pearl Jam, Nora Jones, Hip Hop Sulha, Bryan Adams, DAM, Ehud Banay
• We have engaged world class surfer Kelly Slater through the “Surfing for Peace” Gaza initiative – and have invited him to be a part of our October 18th events.

Pledge to be there with us.  Sign up and get more information at www.OneMillionVoices.org.

- The OneVoice Teams in Tel Aviv, Jericho, Gaza City, London, Ottawa, and New York

The voice of the moderates

I have been watching the CNN special “God’s Warriors" – it got me to thinking about how many people there are in the world NOT engaged in violence and enmeshed in “holy wars,” but are actually working to make things better.

Extremists make a lot of noise and carry out their initiatives with a kind of unmatched zeal, dedication, and persistence.  They make so much noise, in fact, that they very easily drown out the voices of those calling for tolerance, moderation, nonviolence, and pragmatic steps toward a less conflict-driven and conflict-ridden world.

OneVoice is now nearly 500,000-strong in Israel and Palestine – nearly a half million citizens, in roughly equal numbers on both sides, who want to see an end to the conflict and are willing to make compromises to see it happen; nearly a half million people who have had enough of all the violence and bloodshed.  Yet we never hear about these people, and we rarely talk about these people.

On October 18, OneVoice is aiming to change that – moderate voices will take center stage as Israelis and Palestinians call on the leadership to sit down and negotiate a two-state solution. They need our help – all of us – to realize the vision of a future not dictated by violence, dogma, and extremism.

Visit www.OneMillionVoices.org -- sign the OneVoice Mandate calling on the leadership to heed the will of their peoples, and pledge to be there with us.

We encourage people to comment on our posts. Please be advised that all comments must be on topic. Any hateful, inciting, or derogatory language will not be tolerated and will be removed from the conversation chain.

Save the Date: Oct 18 2007 - One Million Voices to End the Conflict

On October 18, 2007, the Israeli and Palestinian peoples will say “enough!” – enough stalemated negotiations, enough violence and chaos, enough setbacks and excuses. Through unprecedented, massive parallel summits in Tel Aviv and Jericho, satellite-linked to locations worldwide, and supportive events in London, Washington, D.C., and Ottawa, the moderate majority will take a stand.

At the OneVoice Summit, www.OneMillionVoices.org, the people will announce themselves as powerful actors ready to play their role by demanding that their Heads of State heed the will of the majorities and immediately initiate uninterrupted negotiations toward a two-state solution.

Save the date & pledge to be there with us. Join us – and scores of foremost dignitaries, celebrities, luminaries and musicians - in making history on October 18th, with all our might.

Your participation and support are essential not just to forge a first-time shared historical narrative, but also a turning point that marks the day the people seized back the agenda and propelled their political leaders to deliver an agreement once and for all.

Silence, apathy, and inaction are a proxy for others to speak for you. Militants speak loudly with their acts of terror and dehumanization. The Gaza debacle must be a warning for all of us. But together, joining as OneVoice, not only can we prevent and even reverse the spread of violent extremism; we can ultimately channel the frustrations of millions of moderates into a powerful popular summit that will extend a mantle of legitimacy for a historic resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

For more information and to sign up, visit www.OneMillionVoices.org.

Press Release: One Million Palestinians and Israelis to Call for Immediate, uninterrupted Negotiations for Two-State Solution

August 2, 2007 – 8:00am IDT

MID EAST: ONE MILLION PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS TO CALL FOR IMMEDIATE, UNINTERRUPTED NEGOTIATIONS FOR TWO-STATE SOLUTION

Dennis Ross, Saeb Erakat, Muhammad Ali, Dov Lautman, Klaus Schwab Among Global Leaders Supporting Grassroots OneVoice Movement L

ANDMARK PUBLIC SUMMITS IN JERICHO + TEL AVIV 10.18.07 MESSAGE TO ABBAS AND OLMERT: MODERATE MAJORITY SILENT NO LONGER

WWW.ONEMILLIONVOICES.ORG

Jericho/Tel Aviv, August 1, 2007 – Frustrated with ongoing instability in the region, the recent crisis in Gaza and lack of progress, the OneVoice Movement today announced that nearly 500,000 Palestinian and Israeli citizens have united to demand immediate, ongoing, uninterrupted negotiations until a comprehensive two-state agreement is achieved. OneVoice has committed to recruit one million signatories to join the movement by October.

On October 18, 2007, Israeli and Palestinian citizens – together with international supporters – will mobilize to call for a two-state solution and an end to the occupation and terror. OneVoice, a non-partisan mainstream nationalist movement working in Israel and Palestine for an end to the conflict, will organize separate, simultaneous public summits in Tel Aviv, Jericho and Jerusalem, with international “Echo” events in London, Washington D.C. and Ottawa. The summits will be broadcast via satellite for the world to see the international solidarity towards ending the conflict. Hundreds of thousands are expected to participate and to add their signatures to the OneVoice mandate for a two-state solution.

“The people need to start leading the way, to create the conditions necessary for their elected representatives to fulfill the will of the moderate majority,” said Daniel Lubetzky, Founder of the OneVoice Movement. “Excuses and disclaimers won’t get us anywhere. Each of us needs to ask, what can I do to help end the conflict? What am I willing to do to ensure negotiations do not stop until the Heads of State achieve an agreement that can be presented to the people?”

Bringing together international co-producers Michael Lang (Woodstock Productions) and Chris Wangro (Zaragunda Inc.) with the top Israeli and Palestinian production teams, programs for the One Million Voices to End the Conflict public summits will include live statements from foremost dignitaries and religious leaders, a variety of international and regional musical talent, messages from celebrities and luminaries, a magical performance by David Copperfield and raw commitments from OneVoice activists on the ground. The events will create an unprecedented shared reality, in which the Israeli, Palestinian and international communities are linked by their commitment to end the conflict.

In 2004, as a result of ground-breaking citizen negotiations, OneVoice revealed that 76 percent of both Palestinians and Israelis support a two-state solution. By late 2005, over 150,000 Palestinian and Israeli citizen negotiators had achieved consensus on Ten Pillars for Conflict Resolution. However, to date moderates on both sides have kept silent, allowing a small minority of violent extremists to hijack the will of the people and capture global media attention.

“The most difficult thing in this region is to be a person of peace and moderation, especially at times when people are being killed,” said Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian negotiator. “Sanity, wisdom and courage tend to disappear when violence is prevalent. Peacemaking is not just about negotiating an agreement – it’s about having the people demand peace. OneVoice’s initiatives on October 18 are a major step towards making that happen.” "OneVoice's October 18th events are poised to inject the political situation in the Middle East, rife with complexities and contradictions, with a new hope by enabling the Israeli and Palestinian people to take part in the process,” said Ambassador Dennis Ross. “There have been failures of leadership on both sides, but what the OneVoice Movement is doing goes beyond blaming politicians, focusing in on the people of this region, empowering and mobilizing them to build a bold, absolute mandate for an end to the conflict."

By organizing the moderate majority, OneVoice aims to empower its signatories to challenge the current dynamic of weakened leaders and divided populations. The public summits on October 18th will serve as a mandate for Palestinian President Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Olmert, both of whom were elected on a platform for a two-state solution, to make a sustained push for peace. As momentum builds towards the event, OneVoice aims to expand its support base to one million, thus bringing together One Million Voices to End the Conflict.

International support is growing for the OneVoice Mandate and for October 18th One Million Voices To End the Conflict public summits. The list of global luminaries who have proclaimed their support for OneVoice continues to expand. Board members and supporters thus far include:

• Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and President of the World Economic Forum
• Muhammad Ali, philanthropist and former heavyweight boxing champion
• Sheikh Taysir al Tamimi, Chief Palestinian Islamic Justice
• Rabbi David Rosen, Chairman, International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations
• Ambassador Dennis Ross, Mideast Envoy during Clinton and Bush Administrations
• Saeb Erakat, Head of Negotiations, Palestinian Authority
• Dov Lautman, foremost Israeli business leader and winner of Israel Prize
• Stuart Eizenstat, former US Deputy Secretary of Treasury and Undersecretary of State
• Samer Khoury, foremost Palestinian business leader; CEO, Consolidated Contracts International

OneVoice Palestine Executive Director Nisreen Shaheen said, “With the Arab Initiative on the table and the entire world’s attention on the Middle East, ordinary people have an extraordinary opportunity to make their voices heard.” Dr. Fathi Darwish, OneVoice Palestine Director General, added, “We need to create a sense of urgency among all parties involved – Israelis, Palestinians, and people everywhere – to once and for all end the occupation and the violence and suffering on all sides and enable Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace.”

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About the OneVoice Movement: The OneVoice Movement is a mainstream nationalist grassroots movement with nearly 500,000 Israeli and Palestinian signatories, and 3,000 highly-trained youth leaders. It aims to amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution. OneVoice counts on its Board over 60 foremost dignitaries and business leaders across a wide spectrum of politics and beliefs, joining as OneVoice against violent extremism and for conflict resolution. Learn more by visiting http://www.onevoicemovement.org