OneVoice Movement

Youth leaders address international bodies and young professionals

OneVoice Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders, Dana Sender (left) and Roza Helou (right) address U.N. meeting attendees.

New York, February 25, 2011—OneVoice’s Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders spoke to civil society leaders and dignitaries on Tuesday about the uses of technology in their activism at a round-table discussion hosted by the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations.

Roza Helou, 28, and Dana Sender, 27, spoke of the numerous OneVoice campaigns that have involved technology or social media, from the capturing of video visions on the streets of Palestine to the wildly successful Facebook competition to write future headlines for a mock Israeli newspaper. The event was co-sponsored by U.N. Women and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), with Irish Ambassador Anne Anderson delivering the opening remarks.

“We were really thrilled to partner with OneVoice,” said Joanne Sandler, Deputy Director of U.N. Women.  “We wanted to understand how technology was being used to build popular constituencies in ways that will be visible to Dana and Roza’s leaders.”

Given the centrality of gender to the event, Deputy Director Sandler brought up the point that technology is woman-friendly, enabling people who may otherwise be disenfranchised or intimidated to voice their opinions freely in a virtual world.

This was a sentiment echoed by the youth leaders, but also by Susanna Ferguson, an intern at the NGO Working Group on Women, Peace and Security. “It gives women another way to access conversations,” she said, “Although the fact that less than 20 percent of the Palestinian population has regular access to the Internet is a caveat to that and an area for improvement.”

Ferguson added that the youth leaders projected a sense of “determined optimism” that she found refreshing, while Christina Shaheen, another of the event’s organizers, was impressed by their resolve to reject desperation.

The enthusiasm of the event seized the youth leaders themselves, in particular Dana, who had misgivings about speaking at a United Nations function days after 14 of 15 members of the Security Council had backed a draft resolution condemning Israeli settlements.

“Being there at a time when Israel is criticized so strongly by the U.N. was challenging, but I think that the event was a successful one and very respectful,” said Dana.

WILPF PeaceWomen Project Director Maria Butler affirmed the importance of connecting local initiative with global advocacy – especially in the work of advancing the role of women as peacemakers and peace builders. She added the critical importance of creating space for women participation and voice at all levels of decision-making.

Later that evening, Dana and Roza were joined by a diverse crowd of around 50 for a networking event hosted by Young Professionals in Foreign Policy at the OneVoice offices in New York. The industries represented in the room ranged from business to social entrepreneurship, from the media to the arts.

Some attendees had experience with the Israeli-Palestinian issue, such as Christophe Jospe, who works to educate Arab American youth in the U.S. about the various narratives associated with the conflict. Others described their prior knowledge as minimal, but both the well-informed and uninformed highlighted Dana and Roza’s work in potentially hostile sections of society as the most important to building consensus and eventually peace.

After witnessing despair at some U.S. college campuses and the continued inflexibility of top-level political figures, Roza told young professionals unequivocally: “We cannot afford to be depressed.” A different but vital community concurred.

OVP joins demonstrations against U.S. veto of U.N. resolution condemning Israeli settlements

New York, February 23, 2011—Palestinian demonstrators took to the streets on Friday in response to the United States' veto of a U.N. Security Council draft resolution condemning Israel's settlement policy.

Ramallah’s streets were teeming with youth activists and political actors alike. Hundreds of demonstrators, including OneVoice Palestine's Executive Director Samer Makhlouf and several youth leaders, waved flags and supported their leaders at an unplanned demonstration.

Makhlouf, who was very close to the action, said the rally was ignited by “anger and outrage" at Washington for blocking the resolution.

"Settlements make it difficult, if not impossible, to advance the agenda for the two-state solution, allowing the occupation to continue," said Makhlouf. "We showed support for our political and diplomatic leaders at the demonstration and strongly urged an end to the expansion of settlements.”

In an explanation of the U.S. vote to the Council members, Susan E. Rice, U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, said the veto "should not be misunderstood to mean we support settlement activity."

"While we agree with our fellow Council members—and indeed, with the wider world—about the folly and illegitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, we think it unwise for this Council to attempt to resolve the core issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians," said Ambassador Rice.

Ramallah residents demonstrate against the U.S.'s veto of a U.N. resolution condemning Israel's settlement policy on Friday night.

Hundreds of demonstrators wave the Palestinian flag on Ramallah's street in protest of the U.S. veto.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas addresses demonstrators in Ramallah. The U.S. unsuccessfully put pressure on Abbas to withdraw the draft resolution, according to news reports.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas speaks to the crowds, while surrounded by media and supporters.

Demonstrators walking alongside the Muqata, the presidential compound in Ramallah.

OVP attends briefing with Palestinian PM Fayyad

New York, February 23, 2011—OneVoice Palestine (OVP), a member of the Palestinian Youth Organizations Network, was invited to partake in a meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad on Monday.

OVP's Executive Director Samer Makhlouf and Outreach Coordinator Abdullah Hamarshe met with other Palestinian Youth Organization Network representatives at prime minister’s office to discuss the government’s youth-related programs. Makhlouf spoke about civil society's role in Fayyad's state building program.

“All sectors must contribute and participate in civil society, especially youth,” said Makhlouf, who addressed the attendees of the meeting. “It is crucial to support the government and its state building efforts as a means to improve the situation of the Palestinian people.”

Palestinian Youth Organization Network representatives meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad 

OVP Executive Director Samer Makhlouf and Prime Minister Salam Fayyad

Young Silat ad-Dhahr residents eager for role in state building

 
New York, February 22, 2011—The popular protests sweeping the Middle East are showing the world that marginalized communities cannot be kept silent. Mohammad el-Kade, a youth leader for OneVoice Palestine (OVP), is ahead of the curve. He is offering an outlet for activism to the youth of his hometown of Silat ad-Dhahr.

OVP staff joined Mohammad on Feb. 9 for an introductory session with 15 university students from the village, located southwest of the West Bank city of Jenin. Residents of Silat ad-Dhahr suffer from frequent Israeli settler violence. While the nearby settlement of Homesh had been dismantled in 2005, settlers consistently try to reoccupy the land and often harass the surrounding Palestinian villages. Mohammad is harnessing the pain and frustration his peers feel into positive action through OneVoice programming.

“Among the newly educated generation, diplomacy is a widely understood concept,” said Mohammad. “This generation acknowledges its rights and the discourse to achieve these rights. Not everyone in a given room will totally agree with the OneVoice message, but this doesn't mean that we give up on the ones who are willing to take a chance and attempt to change their present into a better future."

While Palestinian youth have previously been unengaged in determining the future of the Palestinian people, Mohammad said, they are beginning to take greater responsibility for building their nation. Youth living in rural areas of the West Bank and Gaza have historically seen state building and activism as something for privileged individuals. However, a change is taking place and OneVoice provides a platform for youth to develop their voices and shape their future.

During the recruitment event in Silat ad-Dhahr, Abdallah Hamarshe, OVP’s outreach coordinator, detailed how young people can become involved in the movement’s activities. Several OneVoice programs aim to create young leaders, who are capable of mobilizing their communities.

After listening to OVP’s presentation, all 15 students completed a membership application. They will soon be enrolled in OVP’s basic training program.

Mohammad has high hopes for these new young activists. "I do believe that the concept of being a volunteer and taking the required steps that our nation needs toward state building is very important,” he said. “Through OVP programs, volunteers have the ability to achieve the dream of a Palestinian state."

Israel’s future generations deserve a normal reality

New York, February 21, 2011—Dana Sender, 27, served in the Israeli army as a social worker. Caring for the welfare of soldiers in her unit made her especially close to them. During her service, she attended eight funerals; she had yet to turn 20 at the time.

From childhood, Dana was exposed to the conflict. “The ‘90s were difficult times in Israel, with suicide bombs going off, one after the other, killing and injuring innocent people,” she said. “The images we saw as children, both in the streets and in the media, were only of the Israeli perspective of suffering and pain."  

In late 2001, when Dana began her military service, Israeli-Palestinian violent confrontations had intensified, with many casualties. The tension was palpable.

By March 2002, she’d become very close with the soldiers in her unit, particularly Kobi, who was only two years older than her. He’d nearly completed Israel’s compulsory military service with a mere couple of weeks before his discharge. While running a routine patrol at night with two other soldiers near the West Bank city of Hebron, they were ambushed and killed.

Dana woke up the following day to learn that members of her unit were attacked. Kobi was dead. The eight years in between diminished none of Dana’s vividness of that day.

“At the time, I couldn't see the Palestinian perspective because I was caught up in my own pain and frustration,” said Dana. “As I matured and tried to understand the broader situation, I developed a more critical point of view and allowed myself to have a much deeper understanding of the Palestinian perspective. I found out this reality was abnormal and not the one I wanted. It became apparent to me that I should take personal responsibility in shaping the future." 

Dana joined OneVoice Israel’s staff last year as the Youth Leadership Program director.

“I realized that if I love my country and want what’s best for it, I need to work on the larger issue affecting every aspect of our lives—the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” said Dana. “That understanding changed my focus and utilized a great deal of my energy in promoting a two-state solution—one that will be just for both Israelis and Palestinians.”

Her attraction to OneVoice lay in the movement’s respect for two narratives, its recognition that both sides suffer, and its belief that each side should work to end the conflict for the sake of their own national aspirations.

“I felt OneVoice was the one movement that represented me and the vast majority of Israelis that strive for political change, while still maintain their love and loyalty to their country,” said Dana. “I was thrilled to learn we had a Palestinian partner working for the same goal on the other side within a national Palestinian perspective, one which I have grown to respect and accept.”

After Egypt: Can People Power Save the Peace Process?

London, February 16, 2011—OneVoice and Progress will host an event at the British parliament on Monday, Feb. 28, at 6 pm GMT to explore whether people power has been the missing element in the elusive search for Middle East peace.

With revolts sweeping the Arab world, policymakers are waking up to a new reality. We are witnessing individuals—fed up with autocratic regimes dictating their lives—daring to act. Pouring out on the streets, ordinary people are joining together to create an extraordinary moment poised to forever transform the political landscape of the Middle East.

At the heart of the unrest rocking the region lies a youthful generation demanding the right to define their future. They’re leading the drive for real reform and government accountability. What translates across borders like wildfire is the unrivaled power of the people to effect sweeping change.

It is our collective responsibility to channel this momentum into realizing the dream of a stable, secure, and prosperous Middle East.

Tal Harris is executive director of OneVoice Israel. Using innovative techniques, he’s been a driving force across Israel in mobilizing citizens to demand accountability from their government.

Rami Rabayah is a senior volunteer with OneVoice Palestine.  Since 2006, he’s led town hall meetings for hundreds of Palestinians across the West Bank, exploring the toughest issues in the peace process.

Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Twigg recently returned from the region, where he met with OneVoice Israel and OneVoice Palestine staff and youth activists. He serves as the chair of Progress.

Event Details

Who: Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Stephen Twigg, OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris, OneVoice Palestine senior youth leader Rami Rabayah, OneVoice Europe External Relations Director Joel Braunold
What: After Egypt: Can People Power Save the Peace Process?
Where: Wilson Room Portcullis House, House of Commons, London, UK
When: Monday, Feb. 28, 2011 (time: 6 pm ‘til 7:30 pm)

If you wish to attend this event or would like any more information, please e-mail office@progressonline.org.uk.

OVI student activists demand their leaders to pay up

Taxi driver, surprised by his traffic ticket

New York, February 16, 2011—Receiving a traffic ticket is never pleasant, but Israelis who received a OneVoice mock traffic ticket were even more dismayed than usual. They were charged a fine for indifference and the inability to speed up the peace process. The tickets demanded them to fulfill their civic duty and work toward a better future.

The roughly 800 traffic ticket recipients can pay their fine by advancing the political process with the promotion of a moderate message through the media, at the Knesset, or on campuses and communities across the country.

“Failure to do so will result in judgment by the sane and moderate majority of Israelis and Palestinians who are fed up with the conflict,” said Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel, who planned the event and handed out several tickets.

The 11^th Annual Herzliya Conference, convened by the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya’s Institute for Policy and Strategy, took place from Feb. 6-9, 2011.

The conference is one of the most highly attended in Israel. OneVoice’s IDC chapter members were unable to take an active role in the conference itself, but found a creative way to voice their opinions. OVI student activists left clear messages that people needed to wake up to the realities of the conflict and fulfill their civic responsibilities.

OVP engages residents of Tal on Palestinian state building

 

New York, February 15, 2011—OneVoice Palestine (OVP) volunteers along with citizens of Tal, a governorate of Nablus, are taking action to build a Palestinian state. After a riveting town hall meeting, the participants planted trees near the village of Tal with the vision of a lush and thriving Palestinian state.

Dr. Mohammad Masri, an expert on security strategic affairs and the head of the Institute for Research and Strategic Studies, led the town hall meeting. He focused on what Palestinian security services could look like in a new Palestinian state.

"Town hall meeting discussions of strategy and security are important for state building”, said Roza Helou, a senior youth leader, who attended the event and planted many trees. “It educates civilians who have no previous knowledge about the idea of state building. It empowers them to know more about their security and it gives the responsibility of state building to them.”

Masri began with a look at the past security strategy adopted by Palestinian factions. He then recounted the birth of the first national Palestinian security institution, which was created following Oslo. Dr. Masri also discussed the security bodies under the Palestinian Authority, the series of setbacks encountered as well as the developments it has achieved. 

Samer Makhlouf, OVP executive director, elaborated on and emphasized the role of citizens, especially the generation of politically active young people, in the development of a future Palestinian state. Makhlouf urged citizens to be more positive and proactive to effectively contribute and participate in state building.

One way to quell negativity and actively contribute to peace building is through OVP’s Imagine Palestine 2018 campaign. The campaign includes various activities intended to allow Palestinians to envision a peaceful Palestinian state and to identify their responsibilities in achieving it.

Director Lisa Gossels Gives a Voice to Inspirational Young Women

Lisa Gossels (right, middle row) interviews Rezan (right, foreground), a cast member of "My So-Called Enemy," in 2005.

New York, February 11, 2011--Documentarian Lisa Gossels has been on a mission for the past nine years to show the Israeli-Palestinian conflict’s multiple narratives through the lives of six Israeli and Palestinian young women.

In 2001, Gossels met Melodye Feldman, founder of Building Bridges for Peace, and several of the nonprofit’s Israeli and Palestinian teenage participants at the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education's conference. The organization brings these youths to the United States each summer and teaches them peace building tools.

The emotional stories Gossels heard that day left her convinced she’d found the subject for her next documentary. The film Gossels wanted to make stood apart from the many others Feldman entertained. She wanted to document the personal journeys of the 2002 participants that spanned several years.

The resulting film titled “My So-Called Enemy” follows six Palestinian and Israeli teenage girls, who grapple with reconciling their transformative experience in the Building Bridges for Peace program with the realities of their lives when they return home.

The film premiered at Silverdocs in June 2010 and has won awards at the 2010 Hamptons International Film Festival, the 2010 Starz Denver Film Festival, and the 2010 Boston Jewish Film Festival. From film festivals to college and university campuses to places of worship, the film is engaging youth and creating dialogue around multi-faith and multicultural understanding.

“My So-Called Enemy” will be screened at the Athena Film Festival on Saturday, Feb. 12, at 3:30 pm at Barnard College’s Altschul Auditorium in New York. Director Lisa Gossels will be joined by OneVoice youth activists Roza Helou and Dana Sender for a discussion with the audience following the screening.

Gossels sat with OneVoice’s Program Coordinator Angela Duffy for an in depth Q&A.

AD: How did you begin working on this film?

LG: After my first film, "The Children of Chabannes”, I wanted to make a present day and character driven film about peacemaking, conflict resolution, and young people. My goal was to capture the humanity and the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts through multiple personal narratives, showing there are more than two sides to the story. I also wanted the movie to have a multi-faith lens because religion and politics are so intertwined in the Middle East.

AD: The six main girls in the film go through such poignant changes over the course of the film. How did realities on the ground affect their friendships with one another?

LG: When the girls arrive at Building Bridges for Peace, they learn that some of their preconceived notions of their so-called enemy are simply not true. The program allows the girls to bond as human beings through trust exercises and fun activities, and many form deep friendships. When they return home, they find the realities on the ground did not transform with them. So, they feel a sense of isolation in their new understanding. Inas, a Palestinian participant from the West Bank, lost her father the year before joining the program when an Israeli closure prevented an ambulance rescuing him when he had a heart attack. She says near the end of the movie, "It's much easier to live with the ignorance, to live with the unknown. Now that I know more about the conflict, it's hard to go back to the ignorance."

AD: Why is it important to give a voice to Israeli or Palestinian youth?

LG: It is important for people in the United States and the West to know that so many Israeli and Palestinian youths are working on peace and hoping for something better, since we rarely hear these stories in the mainstream media.

Through the narratives of Adi, Gal, Hanin, Inas, Rawan, and Rezan, viewers will see the humanity and the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

AD: Why use the medium of film to tell the story of these young women? 

LG: When I see a film, I want to connect with the characters on a personal level and feel challenged by the material, so that I’m thinking about it long after I walk out of the theatre. Those were the standards I set for "My So-Called Enemy". Ultimately, I wanted to give viewers a taste of the transformation I underwent personally over the eight years I spent with Melodye and these young women. My experience not only broadened my perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it also showed me how to deal with everyday conflicts--whether at work, with our families, and in our communities—and I hope the audience feels likewise.

In an increasingly sound bite driven world, movies have the power to capture an audience’s attention by taking them on an emotional journey. The seven year span of “My So-Called Enemy” allows the viewer to connect with the lives of the six main characters. It puts faces on this divisive conflict that can challenge the audience’s preconceptions in a healthy way.

AD: How did you hear about OneVoice?

LG: Through the movement’s president and founder, Daniel Lubetzky. He saw my first film at an event and we bonded in our shared belief of empowering moderate majorities. I then visited Daniel twice at his office and was completely taken by his vision and achievements with OneVoice.

AD: Why did you find it valuable to feature Roza and Dana in a discussion following your film’s screening?

LG: We have been talking for some time about using "My So-Called Enemy" in OneVoice's college campus tours. When I learned that Roza and Dana were arriving the night before our Athena Film Festival screening, it felt right for them to join me. The film festival celebrates women and leadership. These two young exceptional women have the credibility to share their personal perspectives about the conflict from their hearts and really drive home the message of the film.

AD: What is the power of women in peace building?

LG: Women need an equal voice in peacemaking. When they have an equal place in education, politics, and finance, the societies they live in thrive. Melodye says, "If peace is going to happen in the Middle East, women have to be part of the process.”

AD: Why is film so important in grassroots activism?

LG: I became a documentarian because I believe in the power of films to effect social change. Social justice films can touch and inspire people to act on their ideas and make a difference. I personally gravitate toward films that show ordinary people joining together to create an extraordinary moment because each audience member can leave the theatre feeling they can play a role in making this world better.

OneVoice Israeli and Palestinian activists react to Middle East unrest

New York, February 10, 2011—Roza Helou and Dana Sender are unlikely partners in peace. Like all of you, they have been carefully following the situation in Egypt and across the Middle East with enormous anticipation. They will connect with a worldwide audience on the effects the region's unrest is having on their lives, the actions they’re taking, and how you can support them.

OneVoice invites you to register for the live Web cast on Friday, Feb. 18, at 4 pm ET by clicking on the link: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=76823.

The calls from Tahrir Square are rocking the region. While it is too soon to assess what the outcomes will be — something that puts all of us on edge — it has created an enormous sense of urgency.

At the heart of the upheaval lies a youthful generation demanding the right to define their own future. From Noam Morey and Renad Lifdawi to Dana and Roza, these OneVoice leaders are among ordinary young people joining together to create an extraordinary moment poised to forever transform the political landscape of the Middle East.

Noam and Renad react to Egypt and the changing Middle East

     

Dana and Roza will lead a New York area speaking tour from Feb. 12 to 23 as part of OneVoice’s International Education Program. We want to extend the opportunity for all those unable to attend to connect online with these two exceptional young women. Ask them what they and their peers on the Israeli and Palestinian streets are saying.

Dana, 27, served in the Israeli army as a social worker. Caring for the welfare of soldiers in her unit made her especially close to them. Eight of them died in the line of duty; she had yet to turn 19 at the time. “I found out this was not a normal reality and not the one I wanted for my children,” said Dana, who joined OneVoice Israel’s staff last year as the Youth Leadership Program director.

 

Roza, 28, was only ten-months-old when her father was sentenced to five years in prison for being a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The hardships served to empower her. “With my fellow Palestinian youth leaders, I’m taking real steps on the ground to end the conflict and the occupation so that future generations can live a normal life,” said Roza.

 

You can take action now by forwarding the information about the Web cast to your networks — whether through e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, or blogs.