OneVoice Movement

In Palestine, the Stage is Set for Nonviolent Resistance

By Angela Duffy*

Said Zarzar performs the original play "The Dreams of Said, the Storyteller," for 100 Palestinian students.

OneVoice Palestine partnered with Bethlehem’s Inad Theater to launch an evocative storyteller series last month in the West Bank. The series envisions a future free from occupation, contributing to the growing trend of nonviolent resistance across Palestinian civil society.

An original play, entitled The Dreams of Said, the Storyteller, was followed by an interactive workshop that invited audience members on stage to share their visions of the future. The title character, Said Zarzar, a 23-year-old professional actor, performed in Beit Jala for 14-17 year old students from The Educational Centre of Talitha Kumi, and in Hebron for community members.  OneVoice Palestine’s storyteller series fights disillusionment in a positive way, harnessing the power of the arts in ending the conflict and moving people toward nonviolent action.

“If you don’t see a better future then you will not be able to have one,” said Khalid Massou, 40, owner of the Inad Theater and director of The Dreams of Said, the Storyteller. “Theater is a powerful tool for visualization. A word, or a thought, or a scene is more powerful than a gun.”

Massou, who has worked in theater since 1993, is one of the ordinary citizens whose actions have the ability to spark movements for change. As President Barack Obama’s policy speech on the Middle East last week mentioned, these citizens are most effective because they speak to a built up longing for freedom.

“During the intifada [uprising], the Israeli army tried to mute culture, take away free speech, and halt the spread of ideas,” said Samer Makhlouf, OneVoice Palestine’s executive director. “But they failed to deny us our voice.”

The Inad Theater started in 2000 as a small studio with 70 chairs, built by members of the Bethlehem community. The Inad, which translates to "stubborn" in Arabic, was meant to act as a place to challenge the oppressive measures of the occupation.

“When the theater was destroyed by the Israeli army, we were shocked,” said Massou. “But we decided to continue our important work. We rehearsed and performed outside in parks and village squares. We took our acts on the road and performed wherever we could.”

But not every community in the West Bank is as resilient and hopeful as members of the Inad. Hebron in particular is hard hit by settler violence, making it an important location for theater events like OneVoice’s storyteller series.

“Sometimes when you perform in villages, people make fun of your play, especially one that is geared toward a younger crowd,” Zarzar said. “I was nervous and unsure if the conservative Hebron audience would understand the message I was trying to convey. But the minute I began the performance, there was not one silly comment or disruption. Everyone gave their full attention.”

In Hebron, an elderly woman named Salah took the stage during the workshop session, holding her 6-month-old grandson. It was her first time ever using a microphone. Her dreams were for her newborn grandson to have a better future full of freedom and health, without continued violence and occupation. She said that the play showed the kind of future that she hoped for him.

Manal al-Laham, 14, was brought on stage during the Beit Jala workshop. When asked what she wanted her future to look like she proclaimed, "houra, houra," meaning freed, freed, and then burst into tears.

“Theater is a language that everyone speaks and understands,” said Zarzar. “I can reach out to people with theater. I am not a fighter, but this is my way to resist.”

Juliano Mer-Khamis, the former artistic director of Jenin’s Freedom Theater, said that the coming Intifada must be cultural. Mer-Khamis was murdered two days after the launch of OneVoice Palestine’s storyteller series.

“We believe in [Mer-Khamis’] message and are saddened by his death,” Makhlouf said.  “OneVoice Palestine hopes to honor him by carrying on, in a small way, what he helped to grow.  His ideas will never be silenced.”

*Angela Duffy is program coordinator at OneVoice. Her article was originally published on PolicyMic: http://www.policymic.com/beta/global-affairs/palestine-stage-set-nonviolent-resistance.

European audiences not as daunting as they seem

By Uri Fishelson

Uri Fishelson (left) of OneVoice Israel and Antwan Saca (right) of OneVoice Palestine pose for a photo after an event in London during OneVoice Europe’s Outreach and Education speaking tour.

The importance of participating in OneVoice Europe’s Outreach and Education Program speaking tour for me lay in the opportunity to transform a critical European audience into supporters that can play an effective role in solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As the first event approached, I grew very nervous. I was warned that the audiences on the tour might be hostile. I didn't even know if they would allow me to speak about the mission and work of OneVoice. Fortunately, I found they were all very respectful and I was able to explain OneVoice Israel’s activities during each event. 

We met with Christians, Muslims, and Jews alike, most of whom expressed their acceptance of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state, even though they had fragmented opinions at times. I was very encouraged by the willingness of the audiences to listen to my Palestinian counterpart, Antwan Saca, and me, discussing painful but necessary compromises. 

Antwan said it well when he told the crowd, "Don't be pro-Israel, don't be pro-Palestine; if you really want to help, be pro-agreement."

During the tour, we visited many schools and spoke to young audiences, who were eager to learn about the conflict. Many of them had never met an Israeli or a Palestinian before, so Antwan and I took it upon ourselves to establish a connection with them and expose them to the reality on the ground from our unique perspectives.

One student expressed interest in opening an Oxford University OneVoice chapter. Another inquisitive teenager held many polarizing views that he had learned from his family. Despite this, he was full of questions and Antwan and I spoke with him at length. I believe our conversations planted a seed in his mind that will make him a more critical thinker, no longer seeing things in plain black and white.

One interesting event took place in Westminster Abbey, where we spoke to nearly 40 community members. Canon B. Reiss of Westminster Abbey said,  “I am sure many of those at the meeting were most encouraged to see a Palestinian and an Israeli engaging in such a constructive and open way, and therefore very appreciative of the work OneVoice is doing.”

Many students and community members were thirsty to hear about the daily life of Israelis and Palestinians, what we are doing to resolve the conflict, and how reality differs from what they see in the media.

One audience member asked "If your people are so similar, why can't you reach a solution?" This is a persistent question that we frequently ask ourselves.

OneVoice Israel is tirelessly working to answer this question and to bring about a solution, as we infuse the idea of “creating tomorrow today” into Israeli society. Equally, our colleagues in OneVoice Palestine, are imploring their communities to take an active role now to end the conflict for generations to come.

Read the Jewish Chronicle coverage of the OneVoice Europe’s Education and Outreach tour.

Youth activists talk about U.S. Mideast policy on NPR

New York, May 25, 2011—Danny Shaket of OneVoice Israel and Ahmad Omeir of OneVoice Palestine shared their thoughts on America’s Middle East Policy on the National Public Radio (NPR) program Tell Me More on Tuesday, bringing their fresh voices and perspectives to a public radio audience.

Danny, an economics student at Tel Aviv University, and Ahmad, executive director of Young Entrepreneurs Palestine, were guests on NPR last September, prior to the start of their mid-Atlantic IEP tour, when peace talks launched between Israel and the PLO. This time, host Michel Martin spoke with Danny and Ahmed on the day of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech in Congress as controversy brewed over the U.S. stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These two youth activists, who work tirelessly toward a two-state solution, stressed the need for determination and bold peace initiatives.

“I wouldn't say that I am optimistic,” said Ahmad, when asked if he thought there would be lasting peace in his lifetime. “But at the same time, I'm not saying that I am pessimistic. I would say that I am a very determined person, just like everybody in [OneVoice]. And I'm not talking only about the Palestinians in the movement, but also my Israeli colleagues. And I've seen their determination.”

“As a leader of the Israeli people and of the state of Israel, [Netanyahu] needs to initiate,” said Danny. “This is why we, in OneVoice Israel, are trying to call for our politicians, for our leaders to show and present a peace initiative, an agreement with the Palestinians.”

Read or listen to the entire NPR segment here.

U.S. Students Silent On Israel-Palestine

By Rachel Steinberg*

For the past decade or longer, it seems students passionate about the Middle East are asked to pick a side and stay on it – “pro-Israeli” or “pro-Palestinian.” Once they choose their side, the battle lines are drawn. They join their respective group in activities that further the divide between students and disable constructive discourse on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We’ve seen students clash during demonstrations and speeches. UC-Berkeley has faced polarization for nearly a decade. 

But the issue of ending the Israel-Palestine conflict has been more muted recently. In 2010 and this year, I visited 39 universities across the United States, as the coordinator of speaking tours for OneVoice’s International Education Program. OneVoice is an international movement aimed at ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict by focusing on youth empowerment and grassroots mobilization. Accompanying me were pairs of Israeli and Palestinian youth activists, each working within their own society to lay the framework for a negotiated two-state solution. In seeking to directly face and extinguish campus polarization by introducing students to their Israeli and Palestinian peers, I expected to encounter anger, shouting, and perhaps even protest. 

Instead, what I encountered this past semester was apathy. Many students, barring handfuls of passionate student leaders, were disengaged, detached, and for the most part not present at our events. Our last tour took place in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois, and Michigan. Normally, we engage over 700 students during our events, discussions, and training seminars, but on this tour, we engaged just 200 across four states.

This was surprising given that just one year ago this issue was near a boiling point between student groups on college campuses. While these tensions undoubtedly still exist, they are either being vocalized by smaller and smaller numbers of students, manifested mostly in the issue of Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions, or the divides created in the past have led to complete silence between groups. I was told by one student that members of opposing groups on his campus will even turn away from each other on the street. 

Simultaneously, the rest of the students are completely distancing themselves from any Israeli-Palestinian conversation on campus. Students I have spoken to say that when they see calls for more extreme events or the beginnings of protests in the center of campus, they are fed up by the same old polarized activities disrupting their student life.

But I think this disengagement goes deeper. I meet many students who care strongly about Israel and Palestine, but they no longer care enough, or are too fed up with the status quo, to show up to a moderate event that features an Israeli and Palestinian telling their personal story. It’s my impression that students are getting fatigued by anything related to Israel and Palestine. The political stalemate makes it seem like nothing can be done to end the conflict, and this frustrates students enough that they decide to detach completely.

This apathy is that much more glaring when comparing American students with their peers in the Arab world. Young people in the Middle East are mobilizing and leading revolutions to change the entire political system of their countries. Meanwhile, the future leaders of our country are taking a back seat to supporting the efforts of Israelis and Palestinians in ending the conflict, a conflict that has reverberations for us as Americans too. Our foreign policy, national security, economy, and reputation in the world are seriously impacted by the continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

I know that students have the energy to be constructive players in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The status quo is indeed discouraging, but changing dynamics can begin with forming one positive relationship. Students must have the courage to bridge the silent divides affecting campus groups already engaged in Israeli-Palestinian issues, and create new groups that build productive, active, and creative programs on their campuses that attract the attention and passion of their fellow students.   

Young people in the Arab world have realized their power, and have taken responsibility for activism to create change. I’m still waiting for American students to learn the same lesson and realize that their actions on campus can have both a local and global impact. 

*Rachel Steinberg is International Education Program manager. Her article was originally published on PolicyMic: http://www.policymic.com/beta/global-affairs/us-students-silent-israel-palestine.

Obama focus on ordinary people in Middle East future

New York, May 20, 2011—OneVoice staff watched President Barack Obama's speech on Middle East policy with enthusiasm over his recognition that ordinary people can hold the key to Middle East peace.

"Sometimes, in the course of history, the actions of ordinary citizens spark movements for change," said President Obama. OneVoice has trained over 4,000 youth activists in Israel and Palestine precisely because we, as a movement, have always believed real change comes from the grassroots, sentiments echoed by the president. Our youth leaders across Israel and the West Bank are compelling a resolution to the conflict using the "moral force of nonviolence."

"Our Israeli and Palestinian youth activists choose hope over hate every day," said Dr. Howard Sumka, CEO of OneVoice. "They are breaking the shackles of the past and working for the promise of the future. They have the power to change the course of history and carve a peaceful, dignified future for generations to come."

OneVoice, among many other civil society organizations, have long said the status quo is unsustainable. We all know the basic contours for a fair and just peace agreement that would permanently end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Two states for two peoples living in peace and security.

"At a time when the people of the Middle East and North Africa are casting off the burdens of the past, the drive for a lasting peace that ends the conflict and resolves all claims is more urgent than ever," said President Obama.

Such a peace, however, cannot be enforced on the Palestinian and Israeli peoples. Without their support, it will fail. They must be the driving force, propelling their leaders to take bold steps to end the conflict.

Saeb Erekat talks Fatah-Hamas reconciliation; join the conversation

Saeb Erekat, chief negotiator for the PLO, will talk about the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation and the bid for international recognition of a Palestinian state during a panel discussion organized by OneVoice Israel staff and youth activists later this month.

We invite you, our international members, to join the conversation by submitting questions on OneVoice’s Twitter (@OneVoice) or Facebook accounts. Look out for a follow up e-mail with the date and time of the event, then follow us that day as we tweet the answers live.

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OneVoice is proud to have supported grassroots demands for Palestinian national reconciliation and welcomes this development as a necessary step toward achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We also recognize the risks it entails and will watch carefully as the technocratic government and the future Palestinian democracy take shape.

The thousands of Palestinians that peacefully demonstrated for unity, including OneVoice activists, carried one flag: The Palestinian flag. The protests were not ultimately about Fatah or Hamas; they were about uniting as a people to end the occupation and establish a sovereign Palestinian state at peace with Israel.

"This is a victory for civil society and the power of the grassroots,” said Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine. “With President Mahmoud Abbas still backing the two-state solution and Hamas showing receptiveness to such an agreement, the Israeli leadership needs to show its readiness to commit to the course of peace.”

By participating in a unity government, Hamas will be under tremendous pressure to fall in line if they want their stake in the international arena. Spoiler behavior by Hamas would not only halt international aid, but also jeopardize the Palestinian effort for international recognition of their state at the United Nations General Assembly meeting this September.

The Israeli leadership has so far reacted with alarm. At the same time, many well respected Israeli advocates for peace view the developments with cautious optimism.

“It’s vital the Israeli leadership balances the threats of the reconciliation with the opportunities,” said Tal Harris, OneVoice Israel executive director. “Our focus, at OneVoice Israel, is to build momentum for a bold and immediate peace initiative, based on the 1967 borders to avoid unilateral actions by the Palestinians that will not yield peace with Israel.”
Read more on OneVoice Israel’s town hall meetings addressing the topic»

OneVoice believes that true peace will only come through negotiations between Israelis and Palestinians. A Palestinian state must be built in both the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, with one people, one flag, and one future. We will work to ensure that the reconciliation serves as an incentive for both sides to bring their dispute back to the negotiating table.

OneVoice activists network with young leaders, reach Spanish audience

World Perspectives Seminar students analyze media articles.

New York, May 2, 2011—Seven OneVoice activists sharpened their media savvy in Spain from April 10-16 at the World Perspective Seminar, expanding OneVoice’s global presence and relating to peers from around the globe.

The seminar, hosted by Concordia International Group, brought young leaders together to analyze the global news media. In attendance were OneVoice Israel (OVI) youth activists Noam Morey, Yonatan Mishka Kagan, and Meny Amran and OneVoice Palestine (OVP) youth activists Abeer al-Natsheh, Roza Helou, Maher Abdo, and Feras Njoom. These seven OneVoice representatives worked together to spread the OneVoice message, while gaining important media skills and networking with internationals.

“I realized a young international, globalized generation is growing up, building the next era of social involvement,” Yonatan said.  “As OneVoice youth leaders, we must be a part of it.”

The week-long seminar provided participants with tools to better interpret the news around them. Whether in print, radio, television, or multimedia, OneVoice youth leaders must be able to discern the valid from the invalid, think critically, and use their knowledge positively in their leadership endeavors.

“The seminar challenged us to analyze what each statement meant to convey to the audience and whether it is legitimate, or an appeal to emotions,” Roza said. “We analyzed many news articles over the week, some as recent as the Libyan crisis, and some that were dated 2005, discussing Iraq and Iran.”

The program focused deeply on the application of logic to media interpretation, highlighting the importance of questioning details in the media.

“The focus was not on the content of media reports, as much as on their form and structure,” described Yonatan. “We basically learned how to recognize logical fallacies in news reports.”

The youth leaders also had the chance to speak to Suffolk University students and Spanish locals about the OneVoice message and their work on the ground.

OneVoice activists giving a presentation about OneVoice to Suffolk University students and fellow seminar participants.

“Many people expressed a deep interest in OneVoice,” said Yonatan. “One student at Suffolk University asked to create a chapter in her city. Jamil, the organizer, is thinking about organizing a forum for people from Arab states and from Israel.”

Perhaps most importantly, the World Perspective Seminar allowed OVI and OVP members to get to know each other and their fellow seminar attendees.

“I personally got to talk a lot with the Palestinians, which was an amazing experience, as well as with a whole bunch of interesting international people,” said Yonatan. “All in all, the most important thing for me was networking with such people.”