OneVoice Movement

IEP’s New England tour kicks-off U.S. election-themed semester, Part 2

Ahmad Omeir, center, of OneVoice Palestine, tells a student group about his work on the ground.

New York, September 25, 2012 – When Carl Hobert told a group of 50 students to stand if they’d ever lost a friend or family member to gun violence, nearly all of them stood.

Also standing were OneVoice staff members Israeli Adva Vilchinski and Palestinian Ahmad Omeir.

Hobert, of Axis of Hope Center for International Conflict Prevention, looked around at the students of Fenway High School. “Take how you relate,” Hobert told the students, “and build a bridge to how they relate.”

The time spent with Hobert and the students was just one of many impactful events of the International Engagement Program’s (IEP) New England tour. Over 200 people heard Adva’s and Ahmad’s message earlier in the week, and IEP continued to emphasize the parallel programs of their respective offices, as well as IEP’s “call to action” campaign, targeted at the next American president.

Day three of the tour saw the youth leaders at the Educating Global Citizens class at Boston University, the Harvard College Interfaith Council, and finally Tufts University’s J Street U group event.

“We have a common goal but we need to achieve it in different ways,” Adva said of OneVoice Israel and (OVI) and OneVoice Palestine (OVP) during the Tufts event. “What I see as the most important thing about our partnership is not that we need to do things together...but that we can separately do pragmatic things that will put more positive steps on the ground. I'm not trying to do dialogue. I'm trying to show there's a partner on both sides.”

The fourth and final day reached over 560 people, and included stops at Beaver Country Day School, Brandeis University, Brookline Workmen’s Circle, and the aforementioned Fenway High School. The dominant discussion was what Americans can do to help promote the two-state solution.

One comment from a Brandeis participant challenged American involvement in spearheading efforts to push parties to the table. IEP associate Shaina Low, in response to such criticism, reaffirmed America’s role in resolving the conflict.

“The American government has…a lot of influence,” Shaina said. “At OneVoice, we can say that all of our calls for the American public are coming directly from Israelis and Palestinians, who are in the majority of their societies. Maybe it’s not a vocal majority, maybe it’s a silent majority, but it is the majority.”

Ahmad jumped on this theme when he addressed the Workmen’s Circle later that day. “You [as Americans] do have a role,” he said. “Help the American leadership say what needs to be said, and to support Israelis and Palestinians with our work on the ground.”

IEP’s New England tour kicks-off U.S. election-themed semester, Part 1

Adva Vilchinski (far right) of OneVoice Israel explains to Middlebury College students her role in ending the conflict.

New York, September 25, 2012 – Professor Tamar Mayer believes that the world lives in the “seventh day” of the 1967 or Six-Day War, and will continue to unless something is done to change the dynamic.

“The majority of the population on each side [of the conflict] has been born into this unacceptable status quo,” said Mayer, director of the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College. “And it is wholly appropriate that those who were born during the “seventh day” of the 1967 War lead [the change]. Our guests today fit this bill.”

Middlebury was just one of the many stops in the first tour of the International Engagement Program’s(IEP) fall semester. Staff members Adva Vilchinski of OneVoice Israel (OVI) and Ahmad Omeir of OneVoice Palestine (OVP) told over 800 New England participants – from schools to community members – that Americans can support their efforts on the ground while helping impact American foreign policy and help achieve Middle East peace.

From Sept. 10-13, Adva and Ahmad explained that Americans can play an important role in solving this conflict by participating in IEP’s “call to action,” which pressures the presidential candidates to put the conflict high on the agenda when one of them is elected.

The tour started with a visit to Middlebury and then Dartmouth College on the first day, followed by a Middle East Politics class at UMass-Lowell and a J Street event at Eitz Chayim Synagogue on day two.

“We believe at OneVoice Israel that solving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not something which belongs to the left or right,” Adva said when asked about partisanship during the Dartmouth event. “It's something for all the people because ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is good for all Israelis no matter how you vote.”

Ahmad told audience members that the US has a continued role to play in reviving the two-state solution.

“When you try to work with change, and try to bring change into [Palestinian] society, it’s a long and difficult process,” said Ahmad. “You need to mobilize people. You’re shocking people out of their apathy, out of their despair and skepticism…by trying to show them that by creating positive facts, by getting them invested personally, that there is chance to actually achieve that solution. [And] what we need from the moderator [the US] is to be honest and neutral and help us have the right environment to move forward with the negotiations in a limited timeframe.”

Throughout the events, Adva offered her experiences in activist mobilization, outreach, and countering the pro-settlement expansion agenda, while Ahmad spoke about what a successful two-state solution needs: an end to the occupation and of all final status issues based on international resolutions, along with the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Adva and Ahmad’s message was not lost on the days’ participants, but rather echoed and enhanced early and often.

Professor Mayer told the Middlebury audience that Adva, Ahmad, and their OneVoice peers “are engaged in peace and consensus-building efforts, working within their national communities to end the conflict.”

“They are committed to a two-state solution based on the June 4th, 1967 lines that will guarantee an end to the occupation,” she said. “They are Israeli and Palestinian activists who have dedicated themselves to working towards change and a better future for their societies.”

J14 movement joins OneVoice in protesting stalled peace talks

OneVoice Israel erected a massive ice wall, symbolizing the "freeze" in peace talks and containing posters with information on dozens of under-funded social programs in Israel.

New York, August 28, 2012—The #J14 movement joined OneVoice Israel on Tuesday in Tel Aviv to draw for the first time the inextricable link between calls for social justice and demands for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hundreds congregated in Rothschild Boulevard around a massive ice wall, symbolizing the "freeze" in peace talks and containing posters with information on dozens of under-funded social programs in Israel, while the government bleeds money toward conflict management over resolution. The Knesset's Two-State Solution Caucus, led by MK Yoel Hasson and MK Amir Peretz, backed the event and spoke critically about the Netanyahu government's growth of investments east of the Green Line over good faith negotiations with the Palestinians.

“Our social needs are being frozen along with the peace process,” said Tal Harris, OneVoice Israel executive director. “People forgot over the last 20 years that the peace process impacts their day-to-day life. We want to remind them of the need to freeze settlements and end the conflict once and for all by committing to serious negotiations.”

The #J14 protest movement originally wished to avoid politicizing their social justice drive, but could no longer ignore the hard facts. The government’s defense budget ballooned to $14.5 billion in 2012, much of it to maintain the occupation, while education and health suffer serious deficits. Israeli taxpayers have so far bankrolled the occupation and settlement of Palestinian land to the tune of $50 billion while struggling to make ends meet.

“The State of Israel cannot continue its economic prosperity while also maintaining the freeze in the peace process,” said Yossi Yona, a leading member of the #J14 movement. “We must present an integrated approach that includes the just and moral solution of two states, which ultimately translates to social justice for all.”

Singers Noa (Achinoam Nini) and Mira Awad, MKs Avishay Braverman, Nitzan Horowitz, Akram Hasoon, Dov Khenin and Raleb Majadele, and Ambassadors Ilan Baruch, Alon Liel and Daniel Shek, among others, participated in the headline-grabbing event.

"In life there is no status quo, if you don't move forward you go backwards," said MK Dov Khenin. "The government of Netanyahu speaks of two states, but acts on a daily basis to make this solution harder. The price? It’s not only for the Palestinians, we too are paying greatly."

OneVoice's activists in Israel are demanding halting settlement construction to restore confidence in the peace process and restart negotiations. In parallel, OneVoice Palestine is leading community initiatives to transform the frustration and hopelessness on the street into a mass unified call for a peace agreement that ends the occupation, establishes an independent Palestinian state and ends all claims.

Noa (Achinoam Nini) joins OneVoice and #J14 at Tel Aviv protest, linking calls for social justice and ending the conflict.

OneVoice's Tal Harris, The Brief's Nimrod Nir, and Peace Now's Yariv Oppenheimer pose in front of ice wall in Tel Aviv, symbolizing the link between social justice and ending the conflict.

J14 movement and OneVoice to protest stalled peace talks

OneVoice Israel's Facebook ads titled The Cost of the Freeze promotes their upcoming protest in Tel Aviv, drawing for the first time the link between calls for social justice and demands for resolving the conflict.

New York, August 24, 2012—The occupation on the other side of the Green Line did not concern the #J14 movement until now.

No longer able to ignore the facts:

1. Israeli taxpayers have so far bankrolled the occupation and settlement of Palestinian land to the tune of $50 billion while struggling to make ends meet.
2. Settlers receive 22% more in subsidies for education, mortgages, and land purchases, while 90% of Israelis living in Israel proper face the soaring cost of living.

Stav Shaffir, leading member of the #J14 movement, will join OneVoice Israel and the Knesset's Two-State Solution Caucus, led by MK Yoel Hasson and MK Amir Peretz, at 5 pm local time next Tuesday in Tel Aviv to draw for the first time the inextricable link between calls for social justice and demands for resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Yossi Yona, also of the #J14 movement, and actress Etsi Zackheim, among others, will participate in the protest.

The Netanyahu government favors expanding settlements and growing investments east of the Green Line over good faith negotiations with the Palestinians. It's time to say, No more! The protest is expected to draw large crowds to Rothschild Boulevard (between Herzl and Nachlat Binyamin streets), the site where the #J14 movement took off last year. OneVoice Israel is aggressively promoting the event through traditional and new media. Their youth leaders have been postering major cities with the details.

The protesters will congregate around a massive, transparent ice wall, symbolizing the "freeze" in peace talks and containing posters with information on dozens of under-funded social programs in Israel as the government bleeds money toward conflict management over resolution.

Backed by the Two-State Solution Caucus, OneVoice's activists in Israel are demanding halting settlement construction to restore confidence in the peace process and restart negotiations. In Palestine, OneVoice is leading community initiatives to transform the frustration and hopelessness on the street into mass unified call for a peace agreement that establishes an independent Palestinian state and ends all claims.

These are not my Jewish values!

By Darya Shaikh*

Over the last year or so, I have felt myself hardening, growing increasingly jaded about the day to day happenings of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I have been working on this issue for many years and made a promise to myself early on that I would stop if I ever lost touch with the emotion and passion that led me to choose this work in the first place.

Intellectually, I read the headlines and recognize the rapidly growing distance between the present and peace. However, if I'm honest, feelings of anger, frustration and alarm have been absent for some time.

All that changed today. The first two headlines I read left me absolutely infuriated and sadder than I've been in a long time. Late Thursday night, Jewish youth savagely attacked three Palestinians while shouting racist slurs in Jerusalem's Zion Square. Earlier that day, settlers hurled fire bombs at Palestinians in the West Bank, wounding a family of six.

This made me want to scream at the top of my lungs, "These are not my Jewish values!"

Some may question whether I am the right person to declare some form of ownership over Jewish values -- with a Jewish, Israeli mother and a Muslim, Pakistani father. I have let that worry stop me from speaking up before, but I refuse to let that silence me this time. The Judaism I was raised with is all about dugma ishit, or leadership by example.

I have heard Jews from across the spectrum of orthodoxy state that the Jewish people are a light onto all nations. True or not, every self-identifying Jew must recognize that when these kinds of vitriolic, hateful actions are perpetrated in the name of Jewish values -- by those who claim superiority and entitlement over others -- we not only fuel the growing tide of global anti-Semitism, we render ourselves completely unworthy of the title "the chosen people."

If this is the future of the so-called Jewish State, then I say no, thank you.

We cannot turn a blind eye to these events. They may be exceptional at the moment, but if the Israeli public chooses to sit silently by and allow these actions to be taken in their name, then they are all guilty by association.

When a Palestinian act of terror has been committed, we all rightly demand condemnation. Why is this situation any different? If anything, this is a key opportunity for the Israeli leadership to show their dugma ishit and demonstrate a commitment to non-violence as the only means toward peace between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

Every single day, more and more negative realities are being created. If we take a step back, we can actually measure the growing rift that has formed between the present day, the status quo of conflict and occupation, and the future of the two-state solution.

These actions must be stopped. If the political leadership does not stand up to condemn them, then they are not worthy of being called leaders. Let the people stand up and show what real Jewish values are made of!

*Darya Shaikh is acting CEO of the OneVoice Movement. Her blog was originally published on The Huffington Post: http://huff.to/Qnf1U1.

OneVoice warns Knesset members of Palestinian economic collapse

MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima), MK Amir Peretz (Kadima), Dr. Gershon Baskin, Gilead Sher, MK Avishay Braverman (Labor) discuss the Palestinian Authority's economic crisis in the Knesset on Wednesday.

New York, July 25, 2012—Members of the Two-State Solution Caucus in the Knesset heard a presentation by OneVoice Israel on Wednesday, warning that the Palestinian Authority was on the verge of economic collapse.

Over 100 concerned citizens joined a dozen parliamentarians, including Caucus chairmen MK Yoel Hasson and MK Amir Peretz, in a discussion with OneVoice Israel about the implications of an ailing Palestinian economy and stalled peace talks on Israeli politics and security. The report, prepared by Gershon Baskin, an expert on Israeli-Palestinian relations, revealed how the economic crisis dangerously interconnects with negatively shifting Palestinian public opinion on the possibilities of ending the occupation and achieving the two-state solution.
» Click here for the complete report (available in Hebrew only)

“This dangerous combination increases chances of a change in Palestinian leadership when, for many, there’s never been a more ideal leadership for peacemaking” said Baskin. "Increasing numbers of Israelis and Palestinians are losing confidence that there remains a possible two-state solution, which creates urgency for positive political movement on both sides,” he added.

The Palestinian economy witnessed a sharp drop in growth so far in 2012, falling from 9% during the first quarter of last year to 5.4% this year, according to the report, which relied on data from the Palestinian Finance Ministry, high-level Palestinian security officials, and the World Bank. The Palestinian Authority accumulated a national debt of $1.5 billion, in addition to its debt of $1.2 billion to local private banks.

With restrictions on Palestinian exports and half of the Authority's budget contingent on the transfer of tax revenues that Israel collects — though often punitively withholds — for them, the Palestinian government has struggled to pay 153,000 public sector employees, including 30,000 security personnel.

“Prospects for ending the occupation are narrowing while the growth of the Palestinian economy lags behind, creating conditions for another round of bloodshed,” said Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel. “The alternative to peace is not the status quo; the alternative to peace is war. The solution lies in reducing Palestinian dependence on Israel and allowing them to establish an independent state at peace with all its neighbors.”

The report also noted the Palestinian Authority’s inability to seek assistance from the International Monetary Fund because it lacks internationally recognized country status. The Knesset's Two-State Solution Caucus members in attendance, representing Kadima, Labor, Meretz, and Hadash, found the facts eye-opening and stressed the urgency of returning to negotiations.

"The Palestinian Authority's severe financial crisis and the implications presented in the discussion should disturb everyone's sleep," said MK Yoel Hasson (Kadima). "The prime minister must cease his policy of inaction on the political status quo, which does not serve Israel's interests."

The 35 members of the Two-State Solution Caucus, conceived and co-created by OneVoice Israel and MK Hasson, ensure the two-state solution remains a top priority on the Israeli government's agenda and maintain pressure to end the conflict.

OneVoice Activists Warn Against Report Promoting Settlement Expansion

A blindfolded Tal Harris urges the Israeli government to open their eyes and see the inherent dangers in adopting a report by a government-appointed committee that promotes West Bank settlement expansion.

New York, July 10, 2012—Dozens of OneVoice activists assembled outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv’s Kiriya Complex on Tuesday to protest against an Israeli government-appointed committee’s report, which recommended legalizing the majority of West Bank outposts.

Wearing blindfolds, OneVoice Israeli activists warned against government blindness toward the dangers inherent in adopting the report. They held up banners that read, “Enough with the blindness; enough with the freeze in negotiations,” and urged Defense Minister Ehud Barak to open his eyes.

“Adopting the Levy report is akin to shutting one's eyes,” said Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel. “We stand blindfolded in front of Defense Minister Barak’s office to scorn the government’s cowardly conduct.”

The committee of three jurists, led by retired Supreme Court judge Edmond Levy, argued the West Bank was not under Israeli military occupation given that “no other legal entity has ever had its sovereignty over the area cemented under international law.” They proposed legalizing unauthorized outposts on Palestinian land and regulating settlement construction to enable “natural growth.”

“Excuses, framed in legal terms, that promote settlement expansion and ignore the 1967 lines, do not excuse inaction toward ending the conflict,” said Harris. “Legal or not, the conflict is a risk to our state and invites the next round of bloodshed.”

The international community considers the territories that Israel conquered during 1967 Six-Day War to be under occupation, and accordingly views all settlements built on them as illegal.

Responding to the report, U.S. State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said, “We do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity and we oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts.”

Passersby showed support for the actions OneVoice youth activists were taking, and many of them signed their petition to stop settlement activity in the West Bank and restart stalled negotiations toward the two-state solution.

Since June, OneVoice’s Israeli activists have been mobilizing in a different major city each week by wearing heavy winter coats symbolizing the need to freeze the settlement policy and unfreeze peace talks. They’ve held protests outside the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem and annual education conference in Tel Aviv, grabbing local and national news headlines.

Dozens of OneVoice Israel's activists assembled outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv’s Kiriya Complex on Tuesday to warn against a government-appointed committee’s report, proposing to legalize the majority of West Bank outposts.

OneVoice Israel protests “price-tag” attack on Neve Shalom

WATCH: Tal Harris speaks out against “price-tag” attacks (available in Hebrew only)

New York, June 14, 2012—Israeli youth activists, led by OneVoice’s Tal Harris, joined residents in Neve Shalom – a model for Arab-Jewish co-existence – on Sunday to protest the “price-tag” attack on their village by Jewish extremists retaliating against the evacuation of the illegal Ulpana outpost.

Last Wednesday, the Knesset voted down a bill to legalize outposts on private Palestinian land – amid intense lobbying from settler groups and their allies in the governing coalition – that also threatened to undermine the Supreme Court’s ruling to dismantle Ulpana by July 1. OneVoice Israel stepped up pressure on Knesset members in the preceding days to quash the proposed law. Immediately after, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved 851 units for construction in the West Bank settlement of Beit El.

OneVoice advocates for a settlement freeze to restart stalled negotiations toward the two-state solution.
» Read an op-ed by Tal Harris on the choice between democracy and settlements.

Throughout the summer, OneVoice’s Israeli activists will protest continued settlement construction and expansion. They will mobilize in a different major city each week by wearing heavy winter coats symbolizing the need to freeze the settlement policy and unfreeze peace talks. They plan to bring residents and local politicians together in support of this strategic Israeli choice. Their first protest will take place this Tuesday, June 19, outside the Israeli Presidential Conference in Jerusalem.

In the run-up to vote on the outpost legislation, OneVoice Israel published a poll that showed nearly 58% of Israelis oppose the bill. The proposed law sought to legalize outposts in the occupied West Bank that house at least 20 Jewish families who have resided there for more than four years. Results also showed 57.7% of respondents support the Supreme Court’s decision to demolish the illegal outpost and 64% oppose illegal settlement activity in the West Bank.
» View the complete poll results.

The movement’s youth activists carried out a relentless phone, text, and social media blitz to get ministers to vote against the legislation. They also hung posters and banners all over Jerusalem that read “Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel” and “Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two-state solution.”
» Read about OneVoice’s actions against legalizing outposts in the West Bank.

“Any new construction on private Palestinian land in the heart of the West Bank serves as another roadblock in the way of the two-state solution,” said Harris.

OneVoice Israel received extensive Israeli media coverage of their actions, including on the popular Web site Walla, IBA radio, Arutz 7, Israel Channel 2, and the Knesset Channel.

OneVoice takes action to quash bill legalizing outposts in the West Bank

OneVoice Israel joined forces with Young Labor outside the Knesset to protest against the Yesha Council's hunger strike in support of the legalization bid.

New York, June 6, 2012—Israeli youth activists, led by OneVoice’s Tal Harris, stepped up pressure on Knesset members to quash legislation legalizing outposts on private Palestinian land ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The movement published a poll on Tuesday, showing nearly 58% oppose the bill.

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contending with the issue of evacuating the illegal Ulpana outpost in Beit El, amid intense lobbying from settler groups and their allies in the governing coalition, OneVoice Israel mounted a campaign to defeat the bill. Youth activists carried out a relentless phone, text, and social media blitz to get ministers to vote against the legislation. They also hung posters and banners all over Jerusalem that read “Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel” and “Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two-state solution.”

“I urge ministers and Knesset members not to succumb to pressure from the far-right minority, which our poll shows does not represent the mood of the people,” said Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel. “If the law passes, the Supreme Court is likely to deem it unconstitutional, turning the Israeli judiciary and legislative branches into an ineffectual sham.”

The proposed legislation seeks to legalize outposts in the occupied West Bank that house at least 20 Jewish families who have resided there for more than four years. The bill hopes to bypass the Supreme Court ruling to dismantle the illegal Ulpana outpost by July 1.

OneVoice Israel released a poll on Tuesday, conducted by Shvakim Panorama, showing 57.7% of respondents support the Supreme Court’s decision to demolish the illegal outpost and 57.6% oppose the bill legalizing outposts. More than 64% were against illegal settlement activity in the West Bank.

“The majority of Israelis clearly oppose the bill and support the Supreme Court’s ruling,” said Harris. “Any new construction on private Palestinian land in the heart of the West Bank serves as another roadblock in the way of the two-state solution.”

OneVoice Israel received extensive Israeli media coverage of their actions, including on the popular Web site Walla, IBA radio, Arutz 7, Israel Channel 2, and the Knesset Channel.

Hard-liners first attempted to pass the outpost bill in late February, pulling out from presenting it for a Knesset vote at the last minute in response to overwhelming pressure from opposition MKs and the grassroots organized by OneVoice Israel.

OneVoice Israel youth activist hang a poster that reads "Minister Mofaz, the outposts are killing the two state solution! Stop the Regulation Law."

OneVoice Israel hung up banners all over Jerusalem early this week that read "Prime Minister Netanyahu, the outposts are destroying Israel! Stop the Regulation Law."

ACT NOW: Raise American support for the Arab Peace Initiative

New York, May 3, 2012—The International Engagement Program (IEP) launched a call to action last month, asking Americans to support OneVoice activists in Israel and Palestine by engaging their own politicians to revive the Arab Peace Initiative. ACT NOW.

Exactly 10 years ago, the 22 Arab League member states came together in Beirut to propose a peace plan to end the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Arab Peace Initiative offered a comprehensive resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the normalization of relations between Israel and its Arab neighbors. It represented an abrupt about-face, from the League's refusal to engage with Israel to the potential for a new era of regional stability and cooperation. While not an end-point for negotiations, the document sets a positive new starting point.

Unfortunately, Israel never accepted the Arab Peace Initiative as a basis for peace discussions.

The timing of the call to action coincides with parallel campaigns taking place in Palestine and Israel, both of which have the Arab Peace Initiative as their focal point.

Using social media, community programming and appeals to political leadership, OVI and OVP are mobilizing their communities around the regional peace plan. While OVI is raising awareness and demanding a response to this historic opportunity, OVP is using the revitalized discussion about the document to transform popular frustration into a unified call for the two-state solution.

The call to action, unveiled during IEP's recent Southern California tour, is designed to complement these campaigns, using social media to reinsert the Arab Peace Initiative into the American political parlance concerning the conflict. ACT NOW.

Americans are being asked to bombard the social media feeds on Twitter and Facebook of Members of Congress who exert influence on foreign affairs and hold a tremendous responsibility toward resolving the conflict.

Leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Subcommittees that focus on the Middle East are being targeted, using the hashtag #EndtheConflict.

Learn more about the Arab Peace Initiative and what you can do to support this historic document and break the deadlock here. UK supporters can also highlight the initiative to their Members of Parliament by visiting ACT NOW UK.

Twitter user @YonahLieberman fulfills the call to action, messaging Senator John Kerry to ask him to support the Arab Peace Initiative.