OneVoice Blog, Empowering Israeli and Palestinian Citizens toward a Two State Solution

From the Guardian

The Guardian's blogger James Montague on the World Cup 2018 campaign - a vision for what 2018 could look like if there were a two state agreement between Israel and Palestine:

Close your eyes and picture the scene: it is the group stage of the 2018 World Cup and England (it's an outside bet, but for journalistic purposes let's just suppose they made it to the finals) follow the same path they always do in international tournaments, a narrow victory against some form of footballing minnow followed by a goalless, soulless draw, probably against Sweden. And then comes the crunch match, in a state of the art stadium near the azure waters of the Mediterranean. In, erm, Gaza City.

No, I haven't been smoking crack. While England, Australia and the United States gear up for a long bout of sycophancy and arse-kissing to secure the rights to host the 2018 World Cup, a rather more problematic, if noble, potential host is coming up fast on the outside fence: a joint Israel-Palestine bid.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE.

OneVoice & Daniel Lubetzky in the Jerusalem Post

The Jerusalem Post just ran a long article on OneVoice, PeaceWorks, and Daniel Lubetzky.

In it, MK Yoel Hasson says about OV:

"OneVoice encourages moderates on both sides," says MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima). "It can help by changing the atmosphere, and the influence of the atmosphere is very important when dealing with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict."

Read the full article here.

Israel & Palestine to Co-Host World Cup in 2018?

Check out this video - a vision for what could happen if Israel and Palestine reach a two state agreement:

OneVoice is mentioned in House of Lords debate 5 times

After a set of meetings at the House of Lords with OneVoice Europe staff and OVP General Director Nisreen Shahin, OneVoice was mentioned in a House of Lords debate 5 times.

Some of the highlights:

Lord Clarke of Hampstead: Mention has been made of OneVoice. I wonder whether the Minister is aware that these brave and courageous young people have collected 650,000 signatures from Israeli and Palestinian youth. They want the authorities to accept the need to get an understanding and to make the parallel state a reality; they want politicians to stop talking and to get on with creating a better future. Besides the 650,000 signatures, OneVoice has created 1,230 young leaders who are, "prepared to educate and mobilise all sectors of their societies behind its goals". As it said in a recent publication, "this is just the beginning".

From our Gaza office: Town Hall Meeting in Beit Hanoun

On July 14th OneVoice Palestine-Gaza organized a town hall meeting in the Cultural Enrichment Center in the town of Bait Hanoun.

The meeting was held under the title of "2008: The year for ending the military occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state through negotiations with the state of Israel." 60 people attended the meeting, most of them signing up to receive more information about OneVoice after the meeting's conclusion.

Ezzeldin Masri, OVP-G's Director of Outreach, was approached by numerous attendees after the meeting, saying that they liked what they heard, and requesting that more meetings be organized in their area.

This town hall meeting was part of a series that OVP-G launched earlier in the spring. They have held seven other meetings so far, at various locations throughout Gaza.

Event in New York - organized by OV student leader

Students Organize Islam-West Unity Event

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Nicholas D. Alexander

(nalexand@middlebury.edu) 802-349-7195

 

EVENT: Heal the Rift 2008

Saturday July 19, 3:00 – 6:00 pm

Washington Square Park, NYC

 
NEW YORK, New York – July 9, 2008 - The student-run organization Heal the Rift announced the lineup for its summer unity event, Heal the Rift 2008, to be held on July 19 in Washington Square Park from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The event, organized to generate an atmosphere of new optimism and understanding between the Islamic World and the West, will bring together a diverse set of speakers and performers from around the globe.

 
Those performing include Amish Dar, the Pakistani born guitarist/vocalist from Har ik Zehr; Zerobridge, a band made up of American and Kashmiri members; and Ippazzi, a group that believes in celebrating diversity and uniting culturally distinct sounds.

Their music will be complemented by Azhar Usman, a Chicago-born Muslim Comedian of Indian origin, whose sole goal is to promote a better understanding of Islam and Muslims through comedy.

The HTR lineup also includes scholars from the academic and religious realms, including Dr. Ali Yurtsever, the President of the Rumi Forum, Arya Zarrinkelk, an Iranian-American activist and the Human Rights/Peace and Security Program Assistant at Americans for Informed Democracy, and Omar Ashmawy, a Pentagon prosecutor, U.S. Air Force officer, and outspoken critic of fundamentalist Islam. Expedition leader, Lance Trumbull will deliver a speech on his experiences organizing the first joint Palestinian-Israeli peace climb of Mount Everest. New York arts activist Robert Galisnky will emcee the event.

In the past, the peaceful majorities from both civilizations have spoken, but they have not been heard. Suspicion, polarization, and incessant fear mongering is turning the “clash of civilizations” myth into a self-fulfilling prophecy by exaggerating our differences, and disregarding our shared values.

Heal the Rift 2008 is an opportunity to reject the status quo and foster a new climate of understanding in which peace and coexistence are possible.

On July 19, college students from both worlds will lead the way into a better future by publicly pledging never to allow the strength of their transnational relationships to be sapped by the cynicism of global politics.
 

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Heal the Rift was an idea thought up by four college students, two from the West and two from the Muslim World. These four friends refused to accept the status quo of increasing polarization between the West and the Islamic world, and resolved to help end the downward spiral of distrust that divides their cultures. HTR is a simple, but powerful concept: to bring representatives from both civilizations together in a public forum of truth, respect, and reconciliation.