OneVoice Movement

OVP's Christmas trees are full of visions and wishes

OVP youth leader of the month and council member Ala Salous offering candy to guests. 

Bethlehem, December 21, 2010–On Friday OneVoice Palestine (OVP) and the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) kicked off its three day Christmas tree exhibition featuring stunningly decorated trees created by over 20 different local organizations.

OVP had two trees on display, both of which were themed after OneVoice’s Imagine 2018 campaign. OVP set up two Visitors were encouraged to write a vision or wish on a Christmas card and hang it onto one of the trees. The cards were later put on display at the Peace center in Bethlehem. 

A nun sharing her Christmas wishes for 2018. 

“Asking people to publicly write how they wish things to be is not something that I thought people would respond to easily, but they surprisingly did,” said Imagine 2018 Project Coordinator Antwan Saca, as he explained the spirit and urgency of the Imagine 2018 campaign to the exhibition’s guests. “Realizing that we have the right to imagine and resist peacefully is something that others fear to do, and here we are reminding them of their right and demanding them to take this responsibility.”

One of the wishes hanging from a tree read, “No Limits & No Borders,” a comment on the current status quo which has restricted movement through the occupied Palestinian territories. Mohammad Asideh, of the OVP Youth Advisory Council shared his vision of, “An independent Palestinian state,” and added that the comments on the tree were some of the most joyful and uplifting wishes that he had ever seen.

Palestinian policymakers on hand to lend their support to the movement. From left: Bethlehem Municipality Vice Mayor George Saadeh, Head of Fatah External Relations Dr. Nabil Shaath, and HCEF Program Manager Anthony Habash. 

The event was the destination of various municipal and national leaders including Dr. Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian Minister of Tourism and the mayor and vice mayor of Bethlehem, as well as thousands of local families with children whose bright smiles made the event a success.  The event also attracted many of the pilgrims who visit Bethlehem at this time of year. OVP greeted all the exhibition’s visitors with Christmas candies and a copy of an Imagine 2018 book.   

 

Imagining Bethlehem: 1,000 children discover the city

 Children, and the OneVoice Palestine flag, on their journey to Bethlehem for peace.

*By Antwan Saca

As a Christian born in a Catholic family, and as a follower of Jesus’ teachings, my faith, along with my Palestinian nationality–has always driven me and many others like me–to pursue the cause of peace.

“Blessed are the peace makers,” said St. Matthew, and here in the Holy Land that message rings true every day.  For me this is what Christianity is all about: bringing peace and forgiveness to those in conflict. This is one of the reasons that I joined OneVoice, a movement which allows me practice my faith in peace, work toward an end of the occupation, and provide peace for the region’s people regardless of their faith or nationality. 

This year OneVoice Palestine (OVP) partnered with the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation (HCEF) to work on “Journey to Bethlehem for Peace,” an annual event in which over 1,000 children of different faiths, from all parts of the Holy Land and occupied Palestinian territories, gather and march on Bethlehem in the name of peace.

The Journey to Bethlehem for Peace tradition began in 2003, and has quickly become an integral and meaningful part of Bethlehem’s Christmas celebrations over the past seven years. The landmark event unites over 1,000 Christian and Muslim children from Zababdeh, Jenin, Nablus, Aboud, Aarik, Jaffa, Birzeit, Ramallah, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour. For many of the children, the event marks their first visit to Bethlehem, a town steeped in history and spiritual importance for both faiths. The centerpiece of the festivities is the children's walk to the Church of the Nativity, also attended by church representatives, members of various organizations and civil society, as well as prominent government leaders. Once the children arrive at the Church, each child releases a balloon. In total over a 1,000 balloons, each representing their individual hope for peace and freedom, an appeal to both Gods, and the watching world, are released.  

Here in Bethlehem and by people all across Palestine, Jesus’ birth is not only celebrated as a traditional annual religious celebration, but is regarded as the annual rebirth of the very seeds of peace. Jesus is regarded as a messenger of peace to the whole world, and for that very reason this day keeps the door of hope open–no matter how dark things may seem–for a long lasting and genuine peace in the Holy Land.    

One of the most important aspects of the Journey to Bethlehem for Peace, is its ability to bring local communities together to promote peace and understanding. It increases an appreciation of their common heritage and sense of belonging to Palestine as their home, their national identity, and as their Holy Land.

OneVoice is running a campaign called Imagine 2018, separately asking both Israelis and Palestinians to imagine what the year 2018 could look like, should peace be secured and an independent Palestinian state built.  Before the start of the Journey to Bethlehem for Peace this year, two children shared how they envision 2018 those in attendance. One of the children, Maya Atwan, a Christian girl from Beit-Jala read her vision of Christmas 2018 to the crowd:

“I imagine Bethlehem in 2018 open to the rest of the world, where we Palestinians will be welcoming fellow pilgrims to the holy sites-with no limitations on freedom or movement-in a Bethlehem that is free from segregation walls and checkpoints that cut us from our holy sites in Jerusalem.” 

 Children sharing messages of peace with the world at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. 

On December 4, OneVoice joined with HCEF once more for the Joint Christmas Message of Peace “simulcast”, linking the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem with the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, DC. The event was broadcast on the internet, allowing people around the world to watch, and was held under the auspices of the Most Reverend Bishop William Shomali, Auxiliary Bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and the Most Reverend Barry Knestout, Auxiliary Bishop of Washington. A host of Palestinian Authority governors and ministers also participated.  

The speakers delivered a message of peace, emphasizing that Bethlehem lies at the very "heart of Christmas". For Christians everywhere, it is the place where the singular moment of salvation took place. For non-Christians, the message of Bethlehem has a timeless, "beyond borders" aspect. Its symbol of reconciliation and peace is universal and taps into the deepest hopes and dreams of all nations and peoples. The fact that such a destination for peace should exist within a region riddled with conflict should inspire everyone on their mission to end conflict and occupation. “This is the spirit of Bethlehem!” Explained Reverand Shomali to those in attendance and watching online.

Sitting in the Church of the Nativity, my thoughts wandered to Christmas in 2018, and the hope that I would be able to celebrate it as a citizen of an independent Palestinian state. At OneVoice, we are working toward that future every day by training young people to be genuine advocates for peace, and doing everything possible to build a Palestinian state so that we can live side by side with Israel and all of our neighbors in peace, security, and prosperity.  “Inshallah”, I thought, God Willing.

*Antwan Saca is from Bethlehem, and has been an active member of the OneVoice Movement in Palestine for the last three years. He is the OneVoice Palestine Imagine 2018 project coordinator and is directing the newly launched campaign, which aims to help free Palestinians from despair and hopelessness by imagining how their independent state would look like seven years after the occupation ends and creating the motivation to built it.

How OneVoice is creating links between offline and online activism

By Joel Braunold*

London, December 17, 2010–The OneVoice movement has a strong grassroots infrastructure and a budding online presence, and for the Imagine 2018 campaign, we focused on utilizing online tactics to launch a national conversation.

Keeping in mind everything that has made us successful on the ground, Imagine 2018 is not only starting to gather steam, but exemplifying the necessary link activism, both online and off. We are empowering people to connect online in order for them to participate in substantive offline action.

Before explaining the campaign, some background on our movement is important. OneVoice is an international grassroots movement that aims to amplify the voice of Israeli and Palestinian moderates, empowering them to seize back the agenda for conflict resolution and demand that their leaders achieve a two-state solution. All of our activities work toward one common message.

OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine are autonomously run, nationalistic offices that aim to represent and mobilize the moderate majority voice in their own society for a two state solution. Each operates in its own environment and the campaigns of the movement are run using themes that are relevant in each society while making sure they are true to the common message.

Imagine 2018 asks people what they want to see by the time Israel celebrates its 70^th birthday. If citizens cannot control the negotiations, we ask them questions about what they aspire to happen. Articulation empowers the person to find a way to help make their vision a reality.

Asking Supporters to Make the Headlines - Literally

While the narrative of the Palestinian campaign is to highlight state-building as a means to end the occupation, OneVoice Israel is focusing on breaking Israeli apathy and fatalistic pessimism about the future. Israel is a high-tech society with 71.6% of the country online. One only needs to look at Hebrew language Facebook pages and news site talkbacks (article comments) to see dynamic discussions taking place.

Using the theme of ‘Israel Tomorrow,’ OneVoice Israel designed a Facebook application that allows users to pick a picture and write their own headline for an envisioned newspaper from the year 2018. OneVoice Israel printed copies of these user-generated newspapers and distributed them to policymakers, trend-setters and opinion formers with their name as the headline and a tag line reading, “Thank you for helping create a two state solution.”

Alongside the Facebook headline application campaign, Israeli offices have also initiated a “talkback blitz.”  OneVoice Israel has chapters on seven academic campuses and activated their offline activist networks to train youth leaders on advertising the campaign by blitzing popular newspaper sites through "talkbacks" with references and links to 2018.

The campaign has been running for two weeks and so far the results have been promising–Facebook presence has increased by 300% and the movement received recognition from the press, government ministers, and celebrities.

Takeaways so far

The link between a movement and its supporters needs to be about more than just a Facebook click. Conversely, a society that has no appetite (or is too scared) to take to the streets needs a different way to be actively engaged. Digital activism, as a means to synch participation with concrete action, gives members an entry level option to contribute.

Moving from supporter, to member, to activist, to leader, should be an available and realistic process within every movement. Those who do not offer activities for its members to engage with others in, other then digesting and regurgitating information, will struggle to move its people along this chain. Similarly, those who only offer time consuming activities without the simple collaborative projects that bind people to a movement may find themselves with a few more activists, but few committed members.

At OneVoice, we are trying to keep these tenets in mind as we bring our campaigns into cyberspace. We hope we’re accomplishing this, but welcome any questions, suggestions or comments!

*Joel Braunold is the Director of External Relations at OneVoice. He is based in London, England ands works out of the OneVoice Europe office. This article was recently featured by the Alliance for Youth Movements.

Blurring the lines between identity and belief

Eliran Eyal addressing in a classroom full of anthropology students at Santa Monica College.

By Eliran Eyal*

Traveling to the United States and speaking on the [OneVoice International Education Program] tour with Mohammad [Asideh] was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. In those ten days I ran through a gamut of emotions that definitely did not produce the fun times that my friends swore I would have.  And yet while unpleasant at times, the tour was not only stimulating and educational, but life changing as well. My decision to participate on the tour has led me to reexamine how peoples’ actions inadvertently affect the lives of others.

One of the moments of the tour that I think most about, happened at an event at San Diego State University. I had finished telling my personal story and during the question and answer session, a Palestinian professor [Dr. Farid Abdel-Nour] in the audience asked me if it were possible for me to relate to any of the Palestinians I had mentioned in my experiences. 

As an actor it is often times my job to put myself in the shoes of another person, but his comment really shocked me. He was asking me to see things from the perspective of someone who was celebrating on the streets as I was with my family down in a bomb shelter. It was these times, when my personal identity and my belief in the two-state solution were challenged that I felt characterized the tour as both difficult but thought provoking.

In every session the audience was welcomed to share their feelings about what we were talking about. We were asked many great questions, some of which were harder to answer than others. The hardest conversations, however, weren’t the ones that took place on stage, but the private ones Mohammad and I would have.  Getting to know a man from the other side of my military service and hearing his life story and his point of view was rewarding.

For years the media has told me untruths about the Palestinian people. Hearing Mohammad’s first person account on issues both big and small made me realize that the differences between the two of us are much smaller that I thought. Mohammad is not an extremist. He, like me, represents the moderate majority, and is willing to stand up for his beliefs. I feel that he and I could be really good friends if not for the unreasonable reality we live in.

In Israel military service is a natural, albeit mandatory part of life in Israel.  For 3 years I served as a tank commander and did so out of respect for my country, my family, and those we have lost. I am still in active in the reserves.  It is difficult to find any soldier who would choose to connect with someone they once called an enemy. But as a representative of OneVoice Israel, this is exactly what I did. What I learned from this experience is that any soldier or policymaker around the world would benefit from an experience like this. If they did it would have a truly positive effect on the world.

* Eliran Eyal is a OneVoice Israel senior youth leader. He recently participated in a OneVoice International Education Program 10-day tour speaking tour of Colorado and Southern California, at several academic and social institutions.

Large UK trade union meets with OVP and OVI

New York, December 2, 2010–Representatives from UK-based UNISON, one of the largest public service union in the European Union, met with OneVoice Palestine (OVP) in the West Bank city of Nablus on November 30, and OneVoice Israel (OVI) Tel Aviv on Tuesday, to discuss future forms of cooperation. 

During OVP's meeting, members explained the important work that OVP does on the ground in preparing for a final comprehensive peace agreement between the state of Israel and the Palestinian government. OVP staff and youth leaders also answered questions from delegation in regard to how UNISON can help the Palestinian people in general, and OVP in particular.

“UNISON’s contribution to the movement would be valuable in promoting our message and raising the voices of Palestinians to the mainstream,” said OVP Executive Director Samer Makhlouf. “They believe in the necessity of ending the occupation and establishing a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders.  UNISON is a far reaching organization and a big player in Europe.  They can help us put pressure on the international community and keep to a timeline to end the conflict.”

Members of OVP meeting with UNISON representatives in a brightly colored room.

On Tuesday, UNISON’s five representatives met with four fellows from OVI’s Youth Leadership Program, as well as staff members and alums.  UNISON representatives were particularly interested in the parallel nature of the movement and how it sets itself apart from other organizations working toward peace. 

OVI explained that working with Palestinian activists demonstrates to the Israeli population that there is a partner on the other side.  OVI fellows pointed out that both OVI and OVP are guided by nationalistic aspirations; OVI hopes for a secure Israel and OVP a viable, and independent Palestinian state.

A large portion of the discussion focused on UNISON’s support of the boycott of goods produced in Israeli settlements. Several members of OVI disagreed, arguing the boycott would do nothing to pressure the Israeli government to work for a solution, that it would harm locally Israeli businesses. At the end of the discussion, an agreement was reached between both sides that there is a difference between boycotting goods from the settlements and goods from Israel.

The atmosphere was very warm and excited during meetings with both offices. While OVI and UNISON did not agree on everything, they both possess hope for a two-state solution. UNISON promised to be in touch after they reported back to their headquarters in England. OneVoice looks forward to the possibility of working together in the future.

Observing Palestinian solidarity at the UN

OneVoice staff member Tim Gregory taking advantage of a photo op at the UN General Assembly.

New York, December 2, 2010–OneVoice staff attended an International Solidarity Day with the Palestinian People event at the United Nations building in New York City on Monday.

OneVoice International Education Program manager Rachel Steinberg, Imagine 2018 Multimedia Consultant, Tim Gregory and Imagine 2018 Program Assistant, Angela Duffy discussed the Imagine 2018 campaign with Nicaraguan Ambassador Maria Eugenia Rubiales de Chamorro, and Malaysian Ambassador Hamidon Ali, both of whom serve on the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. During the meeting the visions of both dignitaries were obtained, as well as those of the performers who had participated in the production of the Gaza Monologues.

“It was really valuable to bring the Imagine 2018 campaign to a truly international audience on this significant day,” said Angela. “I was inspired by the hard work and dedication of the international community to improve the lives and futures of the Palestinian people. Israel and Palestine’s futures are inextricably linked and this type of large scale, future-oriented event was the perfect forum for Imagine 2018.”

Imagine 2018 is OneVoice’s multiplatform campaign that depicts visions by Israelis and Palestinians in 2018 if a peace agreement is signed versus maintaining the status quo, or worse.

Learn more to share your vision of 2018!

Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, Abdou Salam Diallo of Senegal (center), speaking at the opening of a photo exhibit with Riyad Mansour (center left), permanent representative of the Palestinian Authority to the United Nations.

OneVoice Palestine (OVP) youth leader Arwa AbdelRahman, currently completing a training program for Palestinian media practitioners at the UN’s Department of Public Information, joined Rachel, Tim, and Angela in observing a UN General Assembly discussion titled, “The Question of Palestine.”

OneVoice is deeply thankful to the UN’s Division for Palestinian Rights for all of their help and support as well as for hosting such a wonderful event.

Starting the new youth leadership season off right

 Tal Harris speaking to a new class of Youth Leadership Program attendees. 

New York, December 1, 2010–A new school year has begun in Israel and with it came a whole new class of OneVoice Israel (OVI) Youth Leadership Program (YLP) fellows. OVI held its inaugural YLP seminar at the Marina Hotel in Tel Aviv, on Friday and Saturday.

OVI has embarked on a prestigious fellowship program that trains highly qualified candidates committed to ending the conflict through a two-state solution. The purpose of the orientation was to get the new fellows acclimated with the rest of the OneVoice family. Fellows receive extensive training throughout the year with the purpose of becoming OVI’s future leaders.

“The seminar was a success, and the fellows walked away with a good base of knowledge, as well as a desire to learn more. We were very pleased with the high caliber of the new fellows and were very excited by the level of initiative demonstrated by the chapters,” said Dana Sender, head of the Youth Leadership Program.  

There were 40 students from seven chapters, including the Interdisciplinary Center of Herzliya (IDC),University of Haifa, Ben-Gurion University, Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Sapir College, and Oranim College, who participated in a weekend of learning and an introduction to the core issues of the conflict.

The Imagine 2018 campaign was presented to everyone at the seminar. As a part of their training, the fellows were organized into groups by their alma maters and were asked to consider their own visions, where they see themselves, how they imagine their lives in 2018.

Imagine 2018 is OneVoice’s multiplatform campaign that depicts visions by Israelis and Palestinians of 2018 if a peace agreement is signed versus maintaining the status quo or worse.

Click here to share a vision of your own!

Later, the groups were asked to consider what role the conflict could play in these visions. They wrote down their answers on a piece of paper and cut them into the shape of people, which they then presented to the group and placed onto a board, creating the OneVoice symbol out of their visions.

Dana Sender, and Danny Shaket, former OVI representative on the IEP tour, posing with the group's artistically aligned visions.  

Special guests Shlomo Brom from the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS), and Head of the Two-States Causus and State Control Committee MK Yoel Hasson both spoke at the seminar.  Brom delivered an interesting speech on the current political climate with respect to the conflict. Hasson spoke to the fellows about his lobby and its current status in the Knesset.

On the second day, OVP Imagine 2018 Coordinator Antwan Saca, came to speak about activities, such as the OVP murals project, that were happening in the occupied Palestinian territories. The OVI members were extremely interested in what Antwan had to say, and asked a plethora of questions about OVP's activists. It was clear that they greatly appreciated the opportunity to communicate with a member from the greater OneVoice family.

Both OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine are autonomously run, nationalistic offices that aim to represent and mobilise the moderate majority voice in their own society for a two-state solution.

Peace signs are a warm welcome to the OVI family!