Israeli and Palestinian Youth Leaders come to the US

Fed up with long-stalled peace talks, Israeli and Palestinian youths wanting to engage the masses to end the conflict are turning to the youth leadership development program at OneVoice.

The program, which forms the heart of the movement, aims to create a new generation of activists and leaders who embody a culture of understanding and tolerance and who have the tools to lead in their communities.

“We started with a small group of youths,” said Nisreen Abdallah, director of the youth leadership development program in the Palestine office. “But now we have more than 1,800 youths, both boys and girls, in the field, ranging from activists to senior youth leaders.”

Her Israeli counterpart, Roi Assaf, said approximately 400 Israeli youths underwent the program’s leadership training at various levels. Participants showing promise and greater involvement are put on an advanced track toward becoming ambassadors and trainers for the movement.

OneVoice maintains independent Israeli and Palestinian offices with each working for the national interests of their own people. Differences abound in the unique issues facing each society, but immediately striking is the similar language of optimism, hope and change senior youth leaders on both sides use to explain their motivation to play a role.

As OneVoice's work—and the peace process as a whole—gathers renewed momentum in the Middle East, the International Education Program (IEP) is delighted that two of the most active and experienced youth leaders will embark on a speaking tour in Washington, DC and North Carolina next week.

Ari Eitan, the head of OneVoice Israel’s Jerusalem chapter, and Antwan Saca, a 25-year-old researcher at a Palestinian research institute, will talk about their efforts to break taboos surrounding the conflict in their communities.

Eitan believes his country’s settlements in the occupied West Bank serve as a major obstacle to peace and says there is no justification for an Israeli “civil presence” in the Palestinian territories.

Wearing a black yarmulke, a sign of religious piety in the Jewish faith, Eitan said his focus is on trying to influence Israel’s religious ideologues that are behind settlement expansion.

“I’m ashamed to say they caused the problem here with the settlements activities, which is inspired by religion,” he said. “So that’s why I go to the root of the problem and there I’m trying to find a solution. I think the key to solving this problem is among the religious people.”

Saca, who serves on OneVoice’s Youth Advisory Council, wants the voices of moderate Palestinians to reach stakeholders and the international community in order to “seize back and advance the peace process agenda.”

He stresses the need to raise awareness among Palestinians of the compromises necessary to peacefully resolve the conflict and the personal responsibility of civil society in achieving this goal.

“I am really excited about my first trip to the United States and touring university campuses,” said Saca. “It will give me the chance to freely interact with counterpart students in the US.”

Both Saca and Eitan want to emphasize the important role that Americans—especially young people—have to play in being part of the solution.

“It is vital to engage the youth of other nations involved in policy making toward peace in the Middle East,” said Saca. “The youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow.”

The tour will kick off at American University and includes stops at eight other universities in the region.

In North Carolina, Muslim and Jewish students at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro have arranged a “Unity” Iftar, the evening meal when Muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramadan, to welcome Eitan and Saca.

OneVoice is also working to ensure that Israeli and Palestinian civil societies are represented in Washington’s dialogue on the two-state solution in anticipation of US President Barack Obama’s expected announcement calling for a resumption of Middle East peace talks later this month.

During this crucial time, a major component of the IEP tour will be connecting U.S. policymakers and leaders with the youth leaders. Eitan and Saca will attend several meetings with government officials, present a briefing to Senate staff, and feature in roundtable discussions at the Buxton Initiative and the United States Institute of Peace.

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