Q&A with youth leaders Dalia Labadi and Lee Rubinstein

Lee Rubinstein (Left), IEP Program Director China Sajadian, and Dalia Labadi

Starting on November 1, Dalia Labadi and Lee Rubinstein will begin a tour of New York area universities. Dalia is the Program Director of OneVoice Palestine's Town Hall Meetings. Lee joined the OneVoice Movement as a youth leader and currently leads the OneVoice student chapter at Tel Aviv University.

Why did you join the OneVoice Movement?

DL: At a meeting organized by OneVoice Palestine, some people I knew from [the West bank town of] Jenin who were truly affected by the conflict convinced me to join. I didn't believe that ending the conflict can come from a movement, but when I found these people -- and they really introduced me to OneVoice -- I found it really different than other organizations because it starts from the bottom. The movement truly believes in the grassroots power.

LR: I found OneVoice to be a real option for all people, from both sides [Israel and Palestine], achieving something together. The fact that there is a joint message and a real call for ending the conflict was what made me feel part of this organization. The movement is for all people across the political map -- from the right wing to the left wing -- and that's very important to me.

What's one thing you've done at the OneVoice Movement that you're proud of?

LR: Talking about the joint [OneVoice Israeli and Palestinian] message over the past few months; sitting together with people from the other side, from the "hostile" side, and talking to them. I was sitting with Palestinians at our joint message meetings negotiating what's acceptable -- and what's not -- to us all. In these meetings, we're trying to get to know the other side's narrative and making the other side look at our narrative. This is something that I really love doing.

DL: At OneVoice, everything you're doing is for a better future, geared toward ending the conflict and the occupation. This is a noble feeling, when you're doing something for the people that you're part of. Being part of the movement made me more attached to the society, because you're caring about your people's future. Like Lee said, the other thing I'm proud of is hearing the other side's narrative. This is something that you can't be introduced to through the media or watching television. OneVoice could bridge the narratives.

What challenge do you think you might face on your upcoming tour in New York?

DL: For me, the challenge I might face is [meeting] Arabs [in the United States] who can't understand why Palestinians are working to end the conflict and the occupation that they're living daily. The two-state solution is approved of internationally, but, for Arabs, it's not easily swallowed yet. We're taking baby steps as Arabs to understand the two-state solution. My fear is lack of acceptance for what we as Palestinians want based on the poll [commissioned by the OneVoice Movement].

LR: I think the biggest challenge that I'm going to face is trying to deal with people who will think that we're not relevant and that the whole conversation that surrounds the Israeli-Arab conflict is smaller than other problems or maybe something that cannot be solved by a movement like this one. The second side of the same challenge is to convince them that this is part of the way to build something new, build an understanding.

What message do you want to convey on the tour?

DL: Saying clearly what people perceive from the media is not the entire reality of what's going on in the Holy Land. There are people on both sides, Palestinians and Israelis, who are sick of the conflict and do not want to raise their children in the same way they were raised under the conflict and are willing to stand up in the region and outside to do something about it. We need the international support because one hand can't clap alone.

LR: I agree with Dalia, but would like to add that part of the message is trying to say that even when things look a certain way from afar; they're not always as they seem. I think we're trying to bring the message of people who are willing to go together from both sides to speak to an international audience. The message we carry is in seeing somebody from the Palestinian territories and somebody from Israel sitting together.

What's one thing you've learned about the other side that's surprised you?

DL: While on tour in the United States as part of the OneVoice Movement's International Education Program, I had to visit a synagogue. In Israel and Palestine, we're fighting each other, but we don't even know the basic things about each other. I was introduced to the Jewish faith and know more about Jews in the United States than I did back home. The irony, of course, is to be introduced to the other's religion in the U.S., despite living in the Holy Land together.

LR: The fact that about many things, they actually think much like we do -- and yet we're still very different. I was also surprised by how easy it was to explain to my high school students that I'm going abroad with a Palestinian, and she's a Muslim, and she's nice. She's a real person, someone I can talk to and someone I can tell them about. So they were really looking forward to hearing me talk about that, and that surprised me the most. Sometimes I get eyes rolling at me when they hear I'm taking part in such activities. I think my father didn't like that I was traveling with a Muslim and asked if that was a good idea, but my students were interested in that and wanted to learn more.

Comments

[Nadia Bhamani]

Dear Lee, China, and Dahlia,

I wanted to let you know that I enjoyed and was enlightened by your talk at NYU. I was most touched by the fact that the One Voice Movement incorporates and recognizes pluralism of ideas and identies to such a high degree, whilst still finding common threads on ground between people in Palestine and Israel. I hope to support this grassroots movement and get involved in the future. Best of luck.

-Nadia