OneVoice Blog, Empowering Israeli and Palestinian Citizens Against Violent Extremism

Job Opening at OneVoice: Executive Assistant to the President

	Salary: Commensurate with Experience and Qualifications Education: Bachelor (BA, BS, etc.)
	Description: The PeaceWorks Network is a US based non-profit working to foster conflict resolution and co-existence between Israelis and Palestinians. While there are a few projects and endeavors that PeaceWorks has seeded, the OneVoice Movement is the most significant. OneVoice is a grassroots undertaking with offices in Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Gaza (affiliate offices in London and Ottawa), empowering the grassroots moderate majorities of Israelis and Palestinians to take ownership and action toward a comprehensive negotiated resolution. Learn more about OneVoice by visiting www.onemillionvoices.org . The President of a rapidly growing non-profit seeks an exceptional individual to become his new executive assistant. The executive assistant would be responsible for managing diverse tasks in the professional and personal life of the President. The ideal candidate will be an incredibly detail-oriented multi-tasker that works well independently and as part of a team. Responsibilities of the Executive Assistant - Serve as a liaison and facilitate correspondence from and to the President to the international staff of the organization and it’s prestigious global network - Answering the phone, email and regular mail - Arrange extensive international travel for the President. - Manage busy schedule including appointments in New York and abroad. - May need to work as office manager for the small New York staff and office Additional Qualifications: - B.A. or B.S. from an accredited university - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills - Fluency in the Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, Excel, Word, Powerpoint) - Thorough attention to detail and follow through, able to meet deadlines, and use impeccable judgment when managing the President’s relationships and hectic schedule - 2 years + support experience preferred. - Knowledge of Spanish, Hebrew, or Arabic a major plus but not required How to Apply: Please send resume, cover letter, and writing sample to Darya Shaikh, US Executive Director at darya@onevoicemovement.org. We are looking to fill this position ASAP.

The Time is Now: Countdown Begins on 12.12.07

SIGN THE MANDATE     DONATE TO SUPPORT OV     VISIT OUR BLOG     OV ON FACEBOOK THE TIME IS NOW. Today, December 12, 2007, to mark the start of official negotiations between the Israeli and Palestinian negotiation teams, OneVoice is starting the countdown for 365 days of civic action toward a two state solution - one year of holding ourselves – the international community and our elected representatives – accountable.  Last month in Annapolis, Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas agreed "to engage in vigorous, ongoing and continuous negotiations ... [and] make every effort to conclude an agreement before the end of 2008." And OneVoice was there too in support of the leadership. OneVoice supports the serious steps that Abbas and Olmert are taking to negotiate a mutually-acceptable two state solution, guaranteeing a viable independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel.  And we are pledging to put our support behind them as they start this difficult process. To remind all citizens of their duty to support the process, on December 12, 2007 OneVoice launched 11 digital screens – 5 in Ramallah and 6 in Tel Aviv – displaying countdown clocks set for a one year: one year to achieve a comprehensive two state agreement, one year to end the violence and end the conflict ... one year for citizens to take a stand in support of the process. OneVoice is simultaneously launching countdown clocks online, as a representation within the international community that we are holding ourselves, and our leaders who took part in the Annapolis conference, accountable to playing our part in this process. We all too often speak about the failures of leadership. But we too have a responsibility to do our part.  We are launching a countdown clock to remind ourselves that over the next year – until December 12 , 2008 – we must consider: What are WE willing to do to help end the conflict? Countdown with us – ways you can be involved: Sign the Mandate Forward this email to 5 friends Countdown to a Two State agreement on your website or blog Donate to support OneVoice Join us in counting down & taking action on Facebook The OneVoice Teams         You are subscribed to PeaceWorks Foundation's OneVoice Movement Update List.  For removal requests click here or e-mail: MailListAdmin@onevoicemovement.org and specify Unsubscribe in the subject line.

Press Release: PEACEWORKS FOUNDATION WINS SOCIAL CAPITALIST AWARD FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR

NEW YORK, December 6, 2007 – The PeaceWorks Foundation’s OneVoice Movement announced today that it has been selected by Fast Company magazine and Monitor Group to receive the annual Social Capitalist Awards for the second consecutive year. The organization is among a select group of non profits who use the tools of business to solve the world’s most pressing social problems and who have demonstrated a consistent and unusually large impact on society.

“This year we’ve seen an explosion of diverse experiments, many of them engineered by onetime Wall Street heavies, that attempt to bring new capital – and capital-market dynamics – to the realm of social good,” said Fast Company Contributing Writer Keith Hammonds. “Through these deals, social entrepreneurs and businesses are raising the stakes, creating both business and social impact, and changing old-style capitalism as we know it.”

OneVoice, a youth-led, grassroots movement that runs in parallel in Palestine and in Israel, has been awarded the Social Capitalist Award because of the organization’s demonstrated social impact, entrepreneurial and innovative approach, and potential for growth and sustainability. In the five years since its inception, OneVoice has worked to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by mobilizing the grassroots, in the past year has nearly tripled its membership – now boasting of over 600,000 Israeli and Palestinian signatory members, in roughly equal numbers on each side. The organization is based in Tel Aviv, Ramallah, and Gaza City, with international offices in New York, London, and Tel Aviv.

Darya Shaikh, Executive Director of OneVoice US, said, “OneVoice is proud to count itself among the winners of this award, and therefore among those using innovative tools and approaches to shape the world around them for the better. This has been an important year for us, in trying to mobilize the Israeli and Palestinian populations for a peaceful resolution of the conflict, and we are dedicating ourselves now more than ever to our mission.”

The goal of the Social Capitalist Awards is to advance performance measurement and accountability in the social sector in a highly rigorous, data driven, comparative approach. OneVoice is featured in Fast Company’s December/January 2008 issue and will be recognized at a ceremony at the Westin Washington D.C. city Center on January 8, 2008.

Excerpt from Q&A with US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice at Aspen Institute meeting on US-Palestinian Private-Public Educational & Economic Partnership

QUESTION: Secretary Rice, one of the most encouraging things about Annapolis was the Leaders’ commitment to strike an agreement within a year, which demonstrated brave and courageous leadership. And we're very concerned about trying to not lose that window of opportunity. The red lines from each side are pretty clear. What is normally not said is that they're not incompatible with the red lines of the other side. So it's just about sitting down and just striking an agreement instead of endless Mideast bargaining. What can we in the private sector, business sector and the civil society and the citizens do to make sure that we really do try to accomplish an agreement within that year frame?

SECRETARY RICE: Yes. Well, let me start with what I think the broader community can do. And part of that is supporting leaders who have taken this broad -- this bold choice. And I know that there's a lot of skepticism and so forth. But you know, skepticism doesn't get you anything but skepticism. That's what it buys you. (Applause.)

Sometimes you have to, against all odds, be optimistic. And I would say to populations and to citizens and to the international community as a whole, this time let's try and give a sense of optimism to these leaders who have taken these bold steps.

It is going to require, and I see -- I know there are several members of the Diplomatic Corps, but I particularly see the Ambassador of Egypt is here. And Egypt was extremely helpful in the run-up to Annapolis in helping us, as was Jordan and others.

What we need to do is to say to the leaders, if you make difficult choices for peace, you are going to be supported, not criticized. People are not going to nitpick and say, well, you, Ehud Olmert, you gave up a little bit more here than you should have or you, Abu Mazen, you gave up a little bit more here than you should have. If people are willing to make tough choices -- everybody is going to have to compromise. Look, there's a reason that we haven't had an agreement. And some of it has to do with unrealistic aspirations that at the last moment crashed past efforts to make agreements. That's going to require at some point people saying, all right, these leaders have made realistic compromises and we're going to support those realistic compromises.

I do think that the time that President Abbas and Prime Minister Olmert spent in their discussions on the so-called political horizon have given them a pretty good sense that there is a place that everybody could land here. And I think that's why they eventually decided to move to actual negotiations. I will tell you that two months ago, maybe even six months ago, I did not think that they were going to actually launch negotiations. I hoped they would, but I didn't think that that's where they were going. I think it's only because they’ve had these conversations about some of the most difficult issues that they have a feel for where the other side is. But it's going to take persistence and, again, it's going to take the -- it's going to take the international community not nay saying everything that they do. (Applause.)

MODERATOR: Thank you.

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/12/96142.htm