OneVoice Movement

OneVoice activists respond to campus polarization in run-up to PA’s UN Bid

OneVoice youth leader Eyal Shapira addressing students’ questions following the presentation at Gallaudet University.

New York, September 30, 2011—Standing on a platform at Gallaudet University days before the Palestinian Authority took their statehood bid to the UN, Eyal Shapira, an Israeli, and Obada Shtaya, a Palestinian, recounted their personal narratives as interpreters translated their stories into sign language for the 40 person deaf audience.

Eyal, 25, and Obada, 20, brought the seldom represented voices of average Israelis and Palestinians to American students, policymakers and the media during OneVoice’s Washington, DC speaking tour. Engaging with hundreds of students, they led discussions at American University, Gallaudet University, Georgetown University, George Washington University and University of the District of Columbia.

As the debate continues about the American response to the PA’s UN bid, the project of highlighting Israeli and Palestinian voices of moderation becomes even more important as a means of tempering polarization and conveying national ambitions.

“Americans sometimes take positions without knowing the facts,” said Eyal to a full room at American University. “That is why we [have] come here. And what we are trying to deliver to you is that you don’t have to be pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian — you can be pro-peace, pro-agreement [and] pro-OneVoice.”

Recurrent throughout their tour was their appeal for pragmatism and negotiations in the face of increasingly unilateral diplomatic actions.

“Support an agreement, do not support either side,” implored Obada to 75 students gathered at George Washington University.

Eyal and Obada were welcomed on campuses by a wide variety of student groups representing diverse views, including co-sponsorship with UDC’s Muslim Law Students’ Association, the Georgetown Conflict Resolution Association, Georgetown Hillel, Amnesty International, J Street U and others — highlighting the common demand for moderate voices and pragmatic negotiations.

Their voices were clearly well received; as the session at Gallaudet University ended and some students began making their way to their next class, an eager handful remained behind to talk privately with Eyal and Obada about the situation and what they can do on campus.

“The conversation was useful to show the GW student body that when it comes to this issue, being pro-Israeli and being pro-Palestinian is not zero sum,” said Rory Silver, president of J Street U at GW. “You can be both and at the end of the day it is pro-Israeli to be pro-Palestinian and vice versa.”

OneVoice youth leader Obada Shtaya speaking to students at American University about the difficult compromises needed to end the conflict.

OneVoice Israel activists file for "divorce" from Palestine

OneVoice Israel youth activists Gal Bareket (center) and Raz Ballin post a mock divorce form on the rabbincal court in Tel Aviv on Monday night.

New York, September 28, 2011—Dozens of OneVoice Israel youth leaders demanded a “divorce” from Palestine by plastering posters on and around rabbinical courts across Israel on Monday.

During the night, youth leaders in Ariel, Ashdod, Beersheba, Haifa, Jerusalem, Kfar Saba, Ra'anana, and Tel Aviv put up posters that likened the relationship between Israelis and Palestinians to an unhealthy marriage. Given that the Chief Rabbinate of Israel has exclusive jurisdiction over divorce in Israel, the youth leaders felt it was an ideal place to post the mock divorce forms.

The poster suggests that the current Palestinian bid for statehood at the UN, with its seal of formality, could enable an official separation process that leads to two independent states.

“We can still turn the Palestinian UN bid into an opportunity that would serve Israeli interests,” said Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel. “The Israeli government needs smart and creative diplomacy that serves our true national interests and not the national honor and ego of those in office.”

OVI youth activists plaster mock divorce forms on a bulletin board in the coastal city of Ashdod.

An OVI mock divorce form on the outside of the rabbinical court in Kfar Saba.

OVI's Jerusalem chapter peppered popular posting areas in the city with the mock divorce forms.

Shirly Coifman, coordinator of the Ben Gurion chapter, posts forms around Beersheba.

Even areas around the Israeli settlement of Ariel were plastered with OVI mock divorce forms.

Naomi Havron, coordinator of the Haifa chapter, takes to the streets of Haifa with her newborn baby.

Al-Jazeera English Interviews OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka

New York, September 27, 2011—Al-Jazeera English interviewed OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka on Friday about the Palestinian UN bid, US threats to cut aid to the Palestinian Authority, and the effects on the two-state solution.

The video is provided courtesy of Al-Jazeera English.

OneVoice and top Israeli figures urge bold Israel response beyond UN vote

OneVoice Israel's Tal Harris challenges crowd outside Tel Aviv's Independence Hall to at least consider how a Palestinian state can bolster the two-state solution.

New York, September 22, 2011—Top Israeli cultural figures participated in OneVoice Israel’s event outside Tel Aviv’s Independence Hall on Thursday to encourage a bold Israeli response beyond this week’s anticipated UN showdown.

Hundreds crowded Rothschild Boulevard to hear several Israel Prize laureates, including Joseph Aggasi, Yehuda Bauer and David Harel, and prominent writers such as Sefi Rachlevsky and Yoram Kaniuk state their case in support of recognizing a Palestinian state to pave the way for negotiations. Also on hand were former Ambassadors Alon Liel and Ilan Baruch, Knesset members Nitzan Horowitz, Zahava Gal-On, and Dov Khenin, and Tel Aviv City Council Chair Yael Dayan.

“Recognition of a Palestinian state based on the ’67 border with agreed upon territorial exchanges counters the notion of a bi-national state and preserves the nature of Israel,” said OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris. “Israel’s support would also spoil any effort to delegitimize or internationally isolate us.”

OneVoice Israel also launched their online campaign this week, buoyed by the strong support from members of Israel’s elite, asking Israelis to consider the potential benefits of a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel in peace and security.

Online teaser advertisements on popular Web site Walla received widespread exposure and engaged around 40,000 people. “By providing an online space for citizens to openly voice their support or opposition for the UN vote and talk about it, we managed to involve them directly in the process,” said Harris. All for Peace radio has also been running radio spots produced by OneVoice Israel.

Continuing with the effort to involve Israeli citizens in shaping the national response to the UN vote and especially the aftermath, OneVoice Israel will invite the public on October 11 to join 50 roundtables, led by an equal number of high profile figures, in an unprecedented conversation about the conflict.

“In a nutshell, we believe that Israel can leverage the Palestinian motion and pin down the principle of two-states-for-two-people, which has been a central objective of present and past Israeli governments,” said Reut Institute President Gidi Grinstein, who will be one of the moderators at the event.

OneVoice’s office in Palestine also launched a campaign across the West Bank to support the Palestinian bid with the primary intent to mobilize thousands of Palestinians behind the two-state solution. Their activities will lay the basis for nonviolent and constructive responses in the aftermath of the vote.

Whether the UN vote comes to pass or not, OneVoice Israel’s focus will remain on rallying Israelis to demand their leaders present a bold Israeli peace plan and immediately return to negotiations.

“We have no alternatives but to pursue the two-state solution to guarantee peace, security and prosperity for Israel,” said Harris. “We need our leaders to negotiate a historic agreement that enables Israel and the new State of Palestine to exist side by side and start building a brighter future for all of us.”

Tel Aviv City Council Chair Yael Dayan at OneVoice Israel's event on Thursday states her case in support of recognizing a Palestinian state to pave the way for negotiations.

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Listen to the radio story broadcast by PRI’s The World.

Read the story published in Haaretz.

OneVoice Palestine activists spread word on Palestinian state

OneVoice Palestine youth leader Ahmad Omeir speaks with an Italian tourist in Manger Square on why her country should support the Palestinian bid in the UN and what it means for the two-state solution.

New York, September 21, 2011—United behind the mantra ‘independent state,' OneVoice Palestine (OVP) youth leaders stood on the forefront of change in this week’s OVP campaign to spread support on the upcoming Palestinian bid for statehood.

Much like their Arab Spring predecessors, Palestinian youth, both men and women, assembled as activists collecting on college campuses and bustling Palestinian holy sites to renew anticipation for a brighter Palestinian future embodied by a sovereign state within the United Nations. Their support for the Palestinian bid comes with the primary intent to mobilize thousands of Palestinians behind the two-state solution. Their activities will lay the basis for nonviolent and constructive responses in the aftermath of the vote.

“The youth are the future for Tunisia, Egypt, and Palestine. They negotiate the future by deciding what Palestinians want,” said Mohammad Asideh, OVP youth council delegate.

Negotiating this future for Palestinians, OVP youth leaders took to the streets in an OVP weekend outreach to Bethlehem’s Manger Square distributing flyers with the logo 193 plus one – the number of UN member nations with the addition of a Palestinian state. International tourists joined this conversation as OVP youth leaders urged visitors to push their government in support of UN recognition.

“We came to Bethlehem today to send a message of regards to the countries who decided to support Palestine as well as to encourage those who have not yet decided,” said OVP participant Mohammed Zaid.

In tandem with the Bethlehem outreach that affected an estimated 1,000 individuals, OVP also launched a signature drive at Al Quds University in Jenin appealing to the distinctive climate of the university on Saturday.

“The majority of the university is women, so it is important for them to have a role in the discussion,” Asideh said.

Desiring to engage the female demographic, OVP youth leaders collected hundreds of signatures from students waiting up to ten minutes in line to show support of a future Palestinian state. Partaking in heated discussions with peers, OVP youth leaders also elaborated on the necessity for peaceful approaches to achieving statehood.

“Palestinians want to see progress. They want to see change. We are at a juncture, it can get worse or it can get better,” Samer Makhlouf, OVP’s executive director, said on the need for Palestinians to continue nonviolence regardless of the UN’s decision.

Makhlouf spoke at a women’s empowerment event in Salfeet on Sunday where guest speakers Fadwa Barghouti, wife of political prisoner Marwan Barghouti, and Najat Abu Baker, Palestinian Legislative Council member, were in attendance. Allowing women a place in the deliberation within the West Bank, this event encouraged the estimated 250 women present to have a voice in their community for promoting a Palestinian state.

“The role of women must be greater and broader,” said Abu Baker. “The voice and the role of women is important to carry the message, and I urge that their role not be artificial. I appeal to Palestinian women to engage in political action and empower themselves.”

As the world watches the Palestinian bid unfold, OVP has continued to rally support empowering the diverse demographics of Palestinians to hope for change.

“There is big hope and expectations are increasing,” said Makhlouf. “Even in the best case scenario, it doesn’t mean that there will be no more war, settlers, or occupation, but this UN bid represents a big step.”

OVP Executive Director Samer Makhlouf (center) sits next to Fadwa Barghouti and PLC member Najat Abu Baker at a public event for women in Salfeet.

C-SPAN airs OneVoice briefing on Capitol Hill

New York, September 20, 2011—OneVoice youth leaders Eyal Shapira and Obada Shtaya spoke about their activism on the ground, the future of the two-state solution, and the Palestinian UN bid at a Capitol Hill briefing on Monday. OneVoice's CEO Dr. Howard J. Sumka provided opening remarks and Ambassador Philip C. Wilcox moderated the panel. The event was covered by C-Span and co-sponsored by American Task Force on Palestine, Americans for Peace Now, and Foundation for Middle East Peace.

OneVoice's International Education Program tour of Washington, DC kicked off on Sunday with an event at Busboys and Poets. Voice of America was on hand to interview the youth leaders and will air the segment on Thursday. Stay tuned for more details.

Palestinian Grassroots Perspective: UN Vote Offers Glimmer of Hope

By Samer Makhlouf*

Qalqilya Governor Rabeeh al-Khandakji (left), Palestinian Legislative Council member Walid Assaf, and OneVoice Palestine Executive Director Samer Makhlouf speak at a Qalqilya public meeting about Palestinian statehood.

At first glance, it may appear that Palestinian support for our leadership's bid for statehood at the UN is something obvious or simple. In truth, the situation on the ground is far more complicated.

OneVoice Palestine is the only civil society organization running a campaign to educate the people about the UN initiative, explaining to them the benefits while tempering expectations. We are using traditional grassroots tools with social media platforms to bring people into a constructive conversation about what it will take to end the conflict.

Last Thursday, we held the first of several planned town hall meetings in the West Bank city of Qalqilya to talk about the Palestinian UN bid and its effect on the two-state solution. Nearly 200 residents crowded the hall. An elderly woman wondered if her jailed son would be released once Palestine was recognized. A farmer asked if his confiscated lands would be returned. Another worried about compromising refugee rights. The comments ran the gamut and left me convinced that our campaign was incredibly important.

On hand to answer questions with me that day were Qalqilya Governor Rabeeh al-Khandakji and Palestinian Legislative Council member Walid Assaf. We all stressed that only good faith negotiations, with clear terms of reference and a limited time frame, will produce a mutually acceptable and equitable resolution that sees two states for two peoples. Those same words have been stated repeatedly by President Mahmoud Abbas to local and international media.

In Palestine, the battle lines have been drawn. The overwhelming majority of those in favor of the September bid are pragmatic proponents of the two-state solution. Those opposed belong to two camps: either with Hamas and others who call for one state or with those who claim it will undermine the issue of refugees.

Although we realize the potential risks of the UN initiative, we strongly believe that the consequences of abandoning it are far worse - for both Palestine and Israel. If President Abbas were to withdraw now, it would undercut his leadership. It would fuel the disillusionment with the two-state solution on the street and fan the flames of absolutists. Backtracking now, we all felt, would dash the dreams of millions that desire an independent state - based on the 1967 lines and free from occupation - and need the affirmation of such a reality.

Regardless of the outcome at the UN, our campaign in Palestine is providing a much-needed platform for people to take nonviolent actions that advocate reviving the peace process and returning to negotiations. We're countering extremists on both sides that promise to exploit all of us and plunge our lives into chaos.

This week, while we campaign in Bethlehem, Jenin, Salfeet, and across the West Bank, we will be risking for hope over fear and giving Palestinians and Israelis a chance for a better future.

*Samer Makhlouf is executive director of OneVoice Palestine. You can follow him @samermakh.

A resident of Qalqilya raises a concern over the topics addressed in the wake of the UN deliberation on Palestinian statehood.

OVP Field Coordinator Abdullah Hamarsheh (right) answers questions from inquiring youth after the Qalqilya panel discussion.

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Listen to the Guardian Focus podcast entitled, ‘What will UN recognition of a Palestinian state mean?,’ featuring OneVoice Palestine Executive Director Samer Makhlouf.

Transcript of Samer Makhlouf's comment:

My name is Samer Makhlouf. I am the executive director of OneVoice Palestine movement. September vote for Palestinians means hope, and I don’t really agree with what some Israeli politicians say, that this is a unilateral action and that it is an alternative to negotiations.

After twenty years of useless negotiations, the Palestinians reached a conclusion that the international community should be part of setting the references for these negotiations. The reason why these negotiations did not produce any tangible outcome or did not end the conflict because every time the Palestinians are asked to compromise the compromise.

The September vote does not at all contradict with the basic concept that we all advocate for, which is negotiations. I think that the Palestinians are also intending that they will go back to the negotiating table. Abu Mazen and the Palestinian leaders clearly said that this is never an alternative for negotiations, and he said that our first, second, and third option are negotiations. So, they will come back to negotiating.

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OneVoice Activists Keeping the Two-State Solution Alive

By Howard Sumka*

The Palestinian plan to request UN recognition of its statehood has created intense controversy and challenged OneVoice. How should we position ourselves on the UN initiative? How could we place it in a broader perspective? And most importantly, how could we play a positive role in shaping the aftermath?

OneVoice always strives to bring ordinary citizens into a constructive conversation about the conflict and to mobilize them for action. During this tense period, we continue to work to reduce the frustration and pessimism on both sides and channel people’s energy into nonviolent actions that advocate for a two-state solution – the only stable, viable, and peaceful future for the beleaguered people of Israel and Palestine. No matter how the UN initiative is resolved, that will remain our course.

Only good faith negotiations will produce a mutually acceptable, comprehensive and permanent two-state solution – of that we remain certain. President Mahmoud Abbas agrees, having said last week, “Our first, second and third priority is negotiations. There is no other way to solve this. No matter what happens at the United Nations, we have to return to negotiations.” He also added, “We don’t want to isolate Israel but to live with it in peace and security. We don’t want to delegitimize Israel. We want to legitimize ourselves.”

OneVoice Palestine (OVP) launched its campaign to support the Palestinian bid with the primary intent to mobilize thousands of Palestinians behind the two-state solution. Their activities will lay the basis for nonviolent and constructive responses in the aftermath of the vote. OneVoice Israel (OVI) will soon begin their own campaign to keep the two-state solution alive, spotlighting the potential benefits for Israel of recognizing a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with all its neighbors.

Our Israeli activists are urging their leadership to take positive actions that can turn the UN initiative into a win-win for both sides and rekindle negotiations. Prominent members of Israel’s political and security elite, including OneVoice Israel board members, believe that a resolution that addresses issues of concern to Israel and paves the way for renewed negotiations would preserve the country’s interests and the two-state solution.

Bringing the vision of a Palestinian state closer to realization is vital to counter absolutist agendas. We have watched with alarm the growing Palestinian disillusionment with the two-state solution, which threatens a peaceful and stable future for Israelis and Palestinians. We have seen growing frustration on both sides at the lack of tangible progress, all set against the backdrop of worrying developments that endanger the security of the entire region.

OneVoice continues to advocate for a negotiated resolution to the conflict, and we hope this Palestinian initiative can produce positive developments that are far superior to stagnation and prevent a steep deterioration into violence and extremism.

*Dr. Howard Sumka is CEO of OneVoice, leading the movement's efforts toward a two-state solution for Middle East peace. He was director of USAID's Mission to West Bank-Gaza. You can follow him on Twitter @HowardSumka.

OneVoice Palestine unveils campaign to back UN bid and two-state solution

New York, September 8, 2011­—OneVoice Palestine’s youth activists unveiled their ambitious online and on the ground campaign on Thursday in support of the fast-approaching Palestinian bid for statehood at the United Nations.

OneVoice Palestine launched a campaign, entitled “We have a homeland, we want a state,” in partnership with Wattan TV and other local news agencies to mobilize thousands of ordinary Palestinians into collective action to gain full admittance to the UN on the road to a two-state solution. Their activities will lay the basis for nonviolent and constructive responses in the aftermath of the vote.

“For Palestinians, the UN bid for statehood serves to protect and secure our homeland,” said Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine. "It is a symbolic action that will definitely be followed by negotiations. Both the Israeli and the Palestinian leaders have to go back to serious talks, with clear parameters and fixed time frame, and agree to bring peace and security for both peoples."

Palestine TV and Wattan TV began airing a short promotional video produced by OneVoice Palestine that envisions an international Palestinian airport. An online banner that reads, “1967 borders + implementation of international resolutions + removing settlements = state, freedom, peace, democracy, sovereignty, dignity, independence,” was posted on Wattan TV’s site, and appears on Al-Jazeera’s Web site and the popular sports site Kooora.

In tandem, OneVoice Palestine will have on the ground activities, including distributing thousands of posters and flyers in the West Bank with information about the UN bid.

OneVoice Palestine will leverage its extensive network of youth activists to create a platform for the involvement of all Palestinian citizens in this diplomatic effort. The youth activists will set up tents in the West Bank cities of Bethlehem and Salfeet and invite residents to talk about the UN bid and its aftermath. Town hall meetings will be held in Hebron and Jenin with Palestinian Legislative Council and Fatah Revolutionary Council members attending and connecting with the people on steps to take the day after the vote.

“We, as a movement of Palestinians, Israelis, and internationals, support the campaign of our office in Palestine,” said OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka. “We understand from our discussions with Palestinian officials that this is a diplomatic, tactical move to take us closer to serious negotiations. We believe the Palestinian bid will serve to solidify the viability of a two-state solution and assure a peaceful and stable future for Israel, Palestine, and the region.”

OneVoice maintains local offices in Israel and Palestine that work independently to appeal to the national self-interest of their own societies, but both advocate two states for two peoples and in this pursuit have found a partner in one another.

OneVoice Israel will also launch a campaign in the coming days challenging Israelis to at least consider the potential benefits of a Palestinian state existing alongside Israel in peace and security. They will also encourage a bold Israeli response beyond the UN showdown.

Repairing American’s misconceptions about the conflict

By Shaina Low*

Photo Credit: Mustafa Staiti

Halfway through my first week at OneVoice, I told a friend of mine about my new position in the movement. As I explained to him OneVoice’s mission, he asked, “Wait a minute. Who’s occupying who? Are the Israelis occupying the Palestinians, or are the Palestinians occupying the Israelis?” Anthony’s lack of information, I know, is not uncommon among Americans. In talking to him further, I learned he was fearful of trying to find out more about the conflict because it is such an emotional and divisive topic.

While briefly explaining to Anthony the barebones of the 1967 War and the roots of the occupation, I experienced a moment of euphoria when I knew I had chosen the right career path in OneVoice’s International Education Program.

I’ve been passionate about informing others, particularly Americans, about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2008. As an undergraduate student at Columbia University, I participated in a delegation with the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (FFIPP) and forty other American and European university students.

FFIPP’s two-month program included an intensive weeklong orientation with visits to Holocaust museums, destroyed Palestinian villages, Kibbutzim, and refugee camps and countless meetings with NGOs and activists. Following this crash course on the conflict, I had the opportunity to intern for four weeks at The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, and another four weeks at Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Center in Haifa.

My experience that summer was life-changing, and many of my preconceived notions about the conflict were shattered. I had traveled to Israel twice in the previous year, but this was my first experience in Palestine, and I was worried of how being Jewish would affect Palestinians’ perceptions of me.

My first day of work at The Freedom Theatre, Mustafa, one of the employees sat down to introduce himself. Within minutes, he cupped his hand around his mouth, as if sharing a dark secret, and whispered to my three fellow interns and me, “Jonatan is Jewish,” (referring to the theatre’s co-founder and manager.) Unsure of how to respond, after hesitating a few seconds, I whispered back, “Me too!” For only a second, an expression of pure surprise crossed Mustafa’s face, before turning to sheepish embarrassment. Instantly, the five of us all burst out laughing. From that moment on, I was open about my religion, and it was never an issue.

American media, particularly in a post-9/11 world, tends to compartmentalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into an East versus West paradigm, presenting it as a religious war, driven by unrelenting jihadists battling with “Judeo-Christian values” and conspiring to “throw the Jews into the sea.” In truth, I learned, the conflict is political—two parties arguing over the same strip of land.

Realizing that misinformation and a lack of knowledge were the greatest impediments to widespread US support for resolution, when I returned to Columbia that fall, I made it my priority to reach out and share my newfound knowledge with my peers. By drawing on my personal experience living in both Israel and the West Bank, when challenged I was able to speak authoritatively and confidently about the realities on the ground.

Upon graduating with a degree in political science in May 2010, I returned to Jenin to serve as The Freedom Theatre’s resource development coordinator. Frequent travel in the region resulted in a network of friends that spanned national, religious, and political spectrums—expanding my overall understanding of the conflict.

With the ability to move (relatively) freely between Israel and Palestine, I was consciously aware of my position as an American outsider, and frequently solicited the opinions of Israeli and Palestinian friends, acquaintances, and strangers about what—if any—role America should have in solving the conflict. The responses were varied; some felt that the US exercises too much influence in the region, while others felt that the Obama administration needs to be more forceful in demanding a return to negotiations. Although opinions differed on the amount of authority the US should have in resolving the conflict, almost everyone I spoke to felt that America does have a role. 

When I returned from Jenin, nearly six months ago, I searched for a job that would not only build on my experiences in Israel and Palestine, but also allow me to reach out to American communities and inform them about the conflict. What drew me to OneVoice, specifically IEP, is the opportunity to connect average American citizens and university students with Israeli and Palestinian youth in order to hear their stories firsthand.

I know that Anthony’s question is only the first of many concerning the conflict that I’ll be fielding in my role as IEP associate, and I’m looking forward to sharing with Americans across the religious, ethnic, and political spectrum what I learned about Israel and Palestine and OneVoice’s work in the region.

*Shaina Low is the International Education Program associate. She joined the OneVoice team in mid-August and will be organizing the speaking tour with youth leaders Eyal Shapira and Obada Shtaya in Washington, DC from Sept. 16-23.