OneVoice Movement

In Gaza, putting Palestine back on the map

OVP/Gaza's first volunteer group after completing a seminar on establishing and working within a team.

New York, October 24, 2012—Roughly two dozen twentysomethings, split evenly between men and women, gathered earlier this month at the Adam Center for Dialogue of Civilizations in Gaza City's Al-Rimal neighborhood for OneVoice Palestine's leadership development pilot program in Gaza.

The nondescript conference room in Al-Johara Tower was buzzing with chatter. The participants, handpicked by OneVoice's Gaza Director Ezzeldin Masri, differed in background, education, and politics, but shared a belief in the two-state solution. In coordination with the Adam Center, and other local civil society organizations such as Save Youth Future, OneVoice Palestine planned an intensive 36-hour training program in leadership skills and teamwork.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we're hoping to solidify these participants into the first OneVoice volunteer group in Gaza," said Masri enthusiastically. "Then, we'll support them in designing and implementing initiatives across Gaza." Their focus will be on ending the internal division in order to present a united front in negotiations with Israel.

"We cannot have 20 factions each trying to impose their vision on the people," explained Masri. "We need national consensus on how to end the occupation and the conflict, and the only pragmatic solution is the two-state solution. We must come to terms with Israel to put Palestine back on the map."

Imad al-Falouji, head of the Adam Center, joined Masri for the introductory session to the trainings, spoke about pursuing a non-violent political course to achieve an independent Palestinian state, based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and answered questions about the Fatah-Hamas split and the power of the grassroots to effect positive change. The participants, many of them university graduates without job prospects in Gaza's crippled economy, agreed to start the program on October 11, eager to make an impact in their communities. 

Since reopening the Gaza office in late 2011, Masri led 15 informal sessions about OneVoice's mission and work, reaching a total of 350 young people. "My goal throughout," he said, "was to train young Palestinians to become moderate political leaders supportive of ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a negotiated two-state solution."

While the challenges of operating under a government opposed to the two-state solution remained, successfully recruiting a core group of participants meant Masri had overcome a major hurdle. It left him confident that there was indeed space for OneVoice Palestine to operate in Gaza and as he stated, "move forward."

Amro Brighith talks New York-metro tour

OneVoice Palestine's Amro Brighith speaks to students at Banana Kelly High School's buildOn program.

New York, October 18, 2012 – The second of the International Engagement Program’s three fall tours has come to an end. With stops in New York City and New Jersey behind him, OneVoice Palestine youth leader Amro Brighith took time out of his busy schedule to talk about his experience and what he hopes to achieve upon his return home.

OneVoice: Amro, thanks for talking with us today. What did you think of the tour and how did it go?

Amro: I thought it was really great. This tour allowed me to exercise my public speaking and English skills, and talk about the Movement with people of different backgrounds. Of course, it was great to visit the U.S. for the first time, to visit New York and see how people live here. I think it was a really successful tour.

OneVoice: Does the success of this tour increase your motivation and make you want to continue to do your work on the ground in Palestine?

Amro: It really does. I was motivated before I went on tour, but it makes me want to work more to change the situation and to end the occupation, and it increased my desire to continue my efforts for the two-state solution. I felt here that a lot of people don’t know that much about the conflict and how we live our daily lives. So, I’d love to work more to do what I have to do to change the situation for the better.

OneVoice: What will you tell your friends and family about your experiences here when you get back home? What will you tell them about the Americans you encountered?

Amro: I’ll tell them I had a great time and it was a really exciting experience. I’ll tell my family that the Americans I spoke to listened closely to my personal story and asked some great questions. After hearing what I had to say, these Americans wanted to get involved and help end the conflict, too. Seeing that makes this tour very worthwhile.

OneVoice: What was the most difficult question you faced?

Amro: Actually, it was a comment. An older woman said that the Palestinians deserved the whole land, back to the 1948 borders. That’s a very, very sensitive topic. I told her, “thank you for your comment, but at OneVoice we look toward the future and we agree on the 1967 borders as the basis for a Palestinian state.” It’s with difficult questions or comments like this where the Movement’s message must get through.

Mohammad Asideh wins the Generations For Peace Samsung Award for Impact

Mohammad Asideh (right) receives his award from HRH Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, Founder and Chairman of GFP.

New York, October 18, 2012 – OneVoice is proud to congratulate Mohammad Asideh, senior Youth Leader and staff member at OneVoice Palestine (OVP), for receiving the Generations For Peace Samsung Award for Impact. HRH Prince Feisal Al-Hussein of Jordan, Founder and Chairman of GFP, was on hand to personally honor Mohammad for his dedication and hard work at the October 13th gala. 

Mohammad was singled out for “his own personal journey of change with Generations For Peace [and his] extraordinary impact, training 300 leaders of youth and involving more than 3,500 children in five cities in the West Bank,” according to GFP.

Arabic-language news site alwatanvoice.com notes Mohammad “honored the efforts of the Palestinian youth for standing against the occupation while building their independent state at peace with its neighbors, regardless of the political, economic, and social challenges.” 

Mohammad’s commitment to youth mobilization and outreach in the West Bank as an OVP leader and a GFP volunteer is a testament to his strong, nationalistic commitment and drive to better his community and build a brighter future for the people of Palestine. Mohammad’s devotion is as an example for all of us and a reminder of what true leadership is all about.

Hear what Mohammad had to say. Video by Generations For Peace.

To read more about Mohammad and his work with OVP and GFP, take a look at the links below:

Mohammad Asideh Gets Practical to Build for the Future

OneVoice trainees of Generations For Peace spark community action

Sport: The Missing Link to Conflict Resolution

IEP Spotlight: Mohammad Asideh devotes civic service to Palestine's future generations

 

Grassroots mobilization a hot topic on IEP New York tour

OVI's Or Kaner, left, discusses OneVoice Israel's collaboration with Knesset's Two-State Solution Caucus.

New York, October 17, 2012 – “In order to establish the change, you need to be the change.”

While this sounds like a proverb of old, it actually came from a New York City teenager on a Friday after school, when she and her peers stayed late to listen to OneVoice’s Amro Brighith and Or Kaner.

At the Marble Hill School for International Studies and Banana Kelly High School, one can sense a will, a desire to make a difference and a change in the community and beyond, much like what OneVoice’s youth leaders are doing in Israel and Palestine.

Youth empowerment is a large part of OneVoice’s success. Or, of OneVoice Israel, and Amro, of OneVoice Palestine, spoke to the high school students participating in after-school programs, run by buildOn, about the importance of youth leadership in making change.

“When I first told my family and friends that I will fix the situation in Palestine, they laughed at me because it seems hopeless,” Amro said. “But I don’t want my two-month old niece to live the way I do. I have to try my best because I am – we are – the future.”

Many of the high school student members of buildOn lead tutoring programs for young children, attend peer mediation training, and participate in community service projects. As one student at Banana Kelly said, “we need to try to influence people and hope to bring them back from the wrong path.”

This theme carried over through the last three days of the IEP tour in the New York-area. Discussions about the fear, apathy, and status quo in Israel and of hopelessness and frustration in Palestine regarding the lack of serious negotiations and the ongoing occupation echoed loud and clear with students at The New School, New York University, and professionals at a roundtable hosted by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC). Though the occupation makes Israelis and Palestinians unequal parties to the conflict, OneVoice believes that there is an equal responsibility on both sides to pressure the leadership to resolve the issues and end the conflict. 

The importance of building a bridge between the grassroots and influential organizations like the UN was not lost on the UN staff participants and the OneVoice youth leaders. All noted a need to cultivate relationships between the two in order to achieve common goals.

Outreach to young people is one way to establish positivity and knowledge early on, something OneVoice is already actively doing.

“OVI goes to high schools and middle schools as part of our outreach, and we discusses, educate, and remind the students what’s going on,” said Or. “But there are challenges, like getting permissions from parents, but we try to do these projects despite the opposition.”

Likewise, Amro said OVP has developed a strong partnership with Jordan-based Generations For Peace, through which Palestinian children are engaged in peace-building and community engagement through sports, an effort for which OneVoice Palestine was recently honored.

Ingraining the importance of grassroots mobilization from the young to the old is critical to influencing the political sphere, a key mantra for OneVoice and its volunteers.

“If we create a new political reality, the conflict will end,” said IEP Associate Shaina Low. “And if the people speak, the leaders must jump.”

IEP’s Big Apple tour brings OneVoice’s message to diverse audiences

OVP's Amro Brighith speaks to Middle Collegiate Church about his work to achieve the two-state solution.

New York, October 17, 2012 – Over 8 million people live in New York City. That’s 8 million pasts, presents, and futures interacting and intersecting every day.

From October 7-12, New Yorkers and New Jerseyans met two youth activists from Israel and Palestine who are working to build a viable two-state solution. Amro Brighith, of OneVoice Palestine, and Or Kaner, of OneVoice Israel spoke to their American peers about their work on the ground and the need for political pressure and assistance from everyday Americans.

“The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is an international matter,” Amro told students and community members across the city. “Your leaders have moderated between the two sides for over 20 years, and it’s time to put more pressure on the leadership to say what they have to say and do what they have to do [to finally end the conflict].”

During the first three days of the tour, youth leaders spoke to students at Rutgers, Columbia, and Princeton Universities, as well as parishioners at Middle Collegiate Church and members of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy in a networking mixer. The participants, spanning the religious, ethnic, and political spectrum, served as a microcosm of the 8 million New Yorkers and signified the diverse interest in solving the conflict.

Although the focus of the tours and of OneVoice generally is work on the ground in Israel and Palestine, the question of what Americans can do was a popular topic throughout the tour, undoubtedly because of the upcoming presidential election.  At Princeton, one participant asked what Palestinians need from Israelis, and what Israelis need from Palestinians in order to reignite faith in the peace process and enable a return to negotiations, so the information can be forwarded to his congressman in Washington, D.C.

OneVoice’s efforts to address each society’s concerns was evident in both Or’s and Amro’s answers. Or believes that Israelis need to see a commitment to an end of claims after solving all final status issues from the Palestinians, while Amro sees a commitment to a settlement freeze from the Israeli leadership as an important step in the path to negotiations. All final status issues weigh heavily on the minds of Amro, Or, and their respective communities, and there is a realization that while the occupation makes the parties to the conflict unequal, there is an equal responsibility to resolve it.

“Each needs to show that the other wants serious peace, so negotiations can start and we can move forward,” said Or. “This is exactly what we do at OneVoice – we show our communities that there is a partner for peace on the other side.”

In order to achieve such goals, the youth leaders stressed the parallel nature in which they work to influence their societies, as well as the importance of political and religious inclusion in such talks.

“I speak to many kinds of people at our town hall meetings,” Amro said. “We have supporters from many political parties; we even have security forces attending our meetings. Our Gaza office just reopened and we are training youth leaders to talk to Palestinians living there. We need to reach out to as many people as possible.”

The situation is not that different in Israel, Or explained.

“We’re trying to work with everyone in the Israeli political spectrum– from the ultra-Orthodox and settlement communities, and to those on the far left, while not giving up our principles,” he said. “It appears that the right wing has taken over Israel. Yet, we give all a stage to speak their minds while letting them hear our beliefs. This is how we try to influence and this is how it needs to be done.”

It's not Fayyad, stupid!

By Samer Makhlouf*

When popular social protests erupted across the occupied West Bank this September, I was thrilled to see the masses take to the streets, drawing attention to skyrocketing prices for basic goods and demanding social justice. Such popular will in action seemed absent for some time in Palestine. For a moment, I thought to myself, maybe something new was lurking on the horizon and radiating hope for change.

That fleeting moment disappeared with the smoke of the burning tires, when it became apparent the youth at the forefront of the protests were mere pawns, aimed at targeting Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. As if the blame for our dire circumstance and suffering could be laid squarely on his shoulders, or that his simple resignation would bring forth our salvation.     

The hardships we as Palestinians endure are real. With high fuel prices, unpaid salaries and spiraling costs of living, it's become nearly impossible for us to lead normal lives. The popular protests should be about a rejection of the status quo, a natural reaction against the bitter reality on the ground, and a demand for a better life after so many years of hardship.

Sadly, elements within Palestinian society subverted the spirit of these protests as part of their personal vendetta against Fayyad. With chants blaming official policies for the current economic woes, politicians and news media alike lined up to demand the dismissal of Fayyad's government. All of them seemed to turn a blind eye to the problems festering ever since the signing of the Oslo Accords; problems made  worse by the Paris Protocol on Economic Relations, and other similar agreements.

Worse yet, the manipulation of these young protestors only served to obfuscate the principal cause behind their suffering: Israel's tight control over Palestinian land. Haaretz journalist Amira Hass said it best: "It's the occupation, stupid!"

All of us are affected by Israel's continued military presence, day in and day out. The opportunity here, as we stand at a historical crossroads, lies in clearly stating that the status quo, the occupation, and interim agreements that do not address the underlying problems are all unsustainable.

The Palestinian leadership, headed by President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Fayyad, has the opportunity to be proactive and even provocative, ensuring that the cost of the occupation is not taken for granted. One option that is being much discussed is the cancellation of the 1994 Paris Protocol. While I'm not an economic expert, this would, at the very least, create ripples in the stagnant political waters. But I would go further and suggest that these ripples should be used to end the occupation, not just ease its hardship, with Paris being superseded by a comprehensive move towards final status negotiations. We must not replace one interim agreement with another.

I call on the key players in the international level (US, EU, Arab countries and the UN) to recognise that Oslo and its annexes have run their course, and come together and guarantee one year of serious negotiations with clear terms of reference to sign a just and comprehensive peace agreement between Israel and Palestine in a way that deals not only with the economic issues but all final status issues in accordance with international resolutions. Oslo was intended to lead to statehood and peace, and that is the route that we must put this process back upon.

The current agreement grants Israel the right to collect taxes from Palestinians in the West Bank on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, which it often withholds as a punitive measure. It also gives Israel control over the supply of all utilities and restricts value added tax and fuel prices to comparable rates paid by Israeli consumers despite the vast difference in living standards.   

Palestinian leaders will have to enact extreme economic measures, which will likely be met by Israeli counter measures, including the disruption of fuel supplies in the occupied Palestinian territories. In turn, I hope such actions ignite the people to mobilize against the true impediment posed by the occupation toward realizing our national aspirations, right to self-determination, and independence through a two-state solution.

Enough with attacks on Fayyad, as though the situation was better before him or will improve after him.

What I'd like to see is our youth peacefully blocking roads that lead to Israeli settlements, the expansion of which continues to create negative facts on the ground. I'd like to hear their chants against stalled peace talks. Our politicians, whatever their leaning, must call for and support a peaceful popular movement that seeks to permanently resolve the conflict as the first step toward addressing our economic, social, and other internal crises.

*Samer Makhlouf is executive director of OneVoice Palestine.

Ahmad Omeir reflects on New England tour

OneVoice Palestine's Ahmad Omeir during the New England IEP tour in September.

New York, September 27, 2012 – The International Engagement Program (IEP) wrapped up its first tour of the fall semester, visiting schools, houses of worship, and social justice groups throughout New England from September 10-13.

IEP Director Ahmad Omeir of OneVoice Palestine shared with over 800 participants his most memorable experiences working on the ground and called on Americans to help him achieve a viable two-state solution.

We recently spoke Ahmad over the phone and asked him about his tour.

OneVoice: What was your most memorable part of the tour?

Ahmad: I think the event at Eitz Chayim Synagogue was the most memorable for me because I knew going in that I would receive most of the questions, and I wanted to let them see a sense of hope from the Palestinian side. Many of the participants said this was an eye-opening experience and it allowed them to see a new face of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

OneVoice: What can average Americans do to help you on the ground?

Ahmad: There are two things Americans can do. First, have an open mind in how they see the conflict and not be biased based on what is in the media. Second, they need to realize that to answer their interests they need to see the conflict in a balanced way. Therefore, Americans need to urge their leadership to be balanced in its moderation of the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations; saying what needs to be said and taking the necessary steps that will permanently end the conflict.

OneVoice: Did this tour reinforce your belief in the two-state solution and how will it motivate you to continue your work?

Ahmad: There is a very high sense of skepticism and despair [surrounding the resolution of the conflict], and I have my own stories that reflect these feelings. But my experiences with the occupation push me and keep me going forward and I shared that with the audiences. For instance, as we spoke to the school-aged children, I noticed they were asking very good questions, which shows that on the educational level there is an important, positive step taken in regards to teaching them about the conflict. And in the end, this helps us on the ground.

OneVoice: What do audiences have to look forward to in the final tours of this academic semester?

Ahmad: They can expect to see more devoted youth leaders committed to ending the conflict. They will see it is a personal responsibility and comes out of a sense of urgency. I hope that the new audiences can see the two-state solution as in the international community’s interest to resolve ASAP.

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.”

Christians, Muslims, Samaritans on their role promoting civil peace

Youths from the Christian, Muslim and Samaritan faiths on a field visit to the West Bank city of Bethlehem, part of a pilot program initiated by OneVoice Palestine titled The Role of Religion in Promoting Civil Peace.

New York, September 12, 2012—On a Wednesday evening in early July, the conference room at the historic Al-Yasmeen Hotel in the Old City of Nablus was bustling with chatter. A mixed group of 45 youths from the Christian, Muslim and Samaritan faiths had convened for a discussion on Islam’s role in promoting civil peace.

Mayor and Imam Omar Ishtayeh of nearby Tal village kicked off the conversation by briefly introducing some of Islam’s major precepts, before delving into comparisons to Christianity and Samaritanism in fostering interfaith understanding. After more than two hours of discussion, the event concluded with the young participants highly anticipating their next meeting. This was the third session of its kind under a pilot program titled The Role of Religion in Promoting Civil Peace, which OneVoice Palestine initiated in partnership with Generations For Peace to promote the co-existence of the three religions in Nablus.

One Voice Palestine has been developing a relationship with Generations For Peace for over three years, but this year has expanded the scope of their joint programs greatly, bringing events to five West Bank communities. The programs are tailored to address the needs of each specific community – from initiatives addressing gender issues and empowerment of women in Qalqilya, to social programming with disadvantaged children in Jenin, and interfaith dialogue in Nablus.

“Nablus is a melting pot with three religions mixed together, each promoting tolerance and acceptance of the other,” said Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine. “We wanted to shine a spotlight on the civil peace that residents enjoy, while also emphasizing that Palestinian national identity should prevail regardless of any religious background.”

African novelist Chinua Achebe first coined the term “civil peace” in 1971, which he used to title one of his short stories on life after the Nigerian Civil War.  The concept of civil peace and the necessary conditions to achieve it have since become central to conflict resolution and peace-building. In Nablus, the unique co-existence among the three religions has become a model of civil peace. While the majority of residents are Muslim, there are several hundreds of Christians and Samaritans living there today.

Samaritans consider themselves the true Israelites, with strict religious observances closely related to Judaism. Their total population stands around 750, roughly split between Mount Gerizim, near Nablus city, and Holon, south of Tel Aviv in Israel. It is believed that many Muslim families in Nablus are descendents of Samaritans.

To further the experience for the participants, OneVoice Palestine organized field visits in the city to the Greek Orthodox Saint Photina Church at Jacob’s Well, the Samaritan synagogue in the Old City, and the Great Mosque of Nablus, among others. The high attendance and enthusiasm shown by the youth motivated OneVoice Palestine to expand the field trips to Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity and Hebron’s Old City and Ibrahimi Mosque. The sites join the Samaritan synagogue as casualties of the conflict, sustaining at times extensive damage.

Two members of OneVoice’s local chapter in Hebron joined the group during their tour of the Old City to highlight the unique political situation they face, with a few hundred Jewish settlers occupying the city center and making life for its quarter of a million Palestinian residents unbearable. “It was very important to show our youth the urgency and need for creating political solutions to solve the current problems before we devolve from a political conflict to a religious one,” said Mohammad Asideh, OneVoice Palestine’s outreach coordinator.

The group, which grew to more than 50 by late July, also enjoyed an iftar, the evening meal that breaks the fast during the holy month of Ramadan, together and used the opportunity to evaluate the program and plan future activities. “Watching youth from different religious backgrounds come together and celebrate an iftar proved to me the importance of programs that emphasize religious tolerance and understanding,” said Asideh, who planned the evening. “Equally important, we engaged a large mixed group of youth eager for further involvement with OneVoice.”

As the peace process remains deadlocked, keeping the two-state solution alive across the occupied Palestinian territories has required an infusion of creative initiatives by OneVoice Palestine. By combining social and cultural activities with their political work, they have been able to grow in reach. With 18 active chapters, from Bethlehem to Qalqilya, OneVoice Palestine's Youth Leadership Program has expanded by more than 120 members in the first six months, with a total of nearly 600 youth leaders working across the West Bank. The 50 plus youths who participated in the civil peace program are ripe to join OneVoice Palestine’s two chapters in Nablus.

Youths from the Christian, Muslim and Samaritan faiths on a field visit to Hebron's Old City, part of a pilot program initiated by OneVoice Palestine titled The Role of Religion in Promoting Civil Peace.

Abdullah Hamarsheh, director of OneVoice Palestine's Youth Leadership Program, introduces the pilot program titled The Role of Religion in Promoting Civil Peace to youths from the Christian, Muslim and Samaritan faiths.

The group from Nablus, which grew to more than 50 by late July, enjoy an iftar, the evening meal during the holy month of Ramadan, together and use the opportunity to plan future activities.

OneVoice Palestine attracts large crowds through creative initiatives

OneVoice Palestine drew hundreds from Hebron’s outlying villages for a trivia night at the public park in the West Bank town of Nouba.

New York, August 8, 2012—After breaking their fast, in observance of the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds converged at the public park in the West Bank town of Nouba on Friday for a trivia night organized by OneVoice Palestine’s Hebron chapter.

With the peace process deadlocked, keeping the two-state solution alive across the occupied Palestinian territories required an infusion of creative initiatives by OneVoice Palestine youth leaders. By combining social and cultural activities with their political work, they have been able to grow in numbers and reach. The success of their strategy was on full display during the contest, which drew people from Hebron’s outlying villages and kept them engaged late into the night. Palestine News Network along with two national radio stations covered the event.

“Such events allow us to introduce OneVoice’s youth-led grassroots activism to end the occupation and establish a Palestinian state based on the '67 borders to hundreds at a time,” said Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine. "We're upfront about the difficulty of our mission, but what attracts the crowds is the simplicity of our message: only a negotiated just resolution to all the final status issues will yield a permanent agreement that ends all claims."

OneVoice Palestine signed up more than 300 people to its mission in support of the two-state solution before the night ended. To ensure such a high attendance, the Hebron chapter reached out to private companies to co-sponsor the contest and offer prizes, which included a second-hand car for the first place winner.

"We're so thankful to the Hebron business community's generosity," said Nader al-Amleh, Aroub College dean of student affairs and senior youth leader. "The prizes contributed to public excitement for the trivia night, drawing a larger than expected number of people to hear OneVoice's message."

In a testament to the movement's ability to target youth, over 120 students from Al-Quds University, Hebron University, Palestine Polytechnic University and Palestine Technical College in Aroub participated in the event, fielding tough questions confidently. OneVoice Palestine has been hitting universities across the West Bank to recruit students for their chapters, and they have been winning them over in droves.

The chapters are the epicenter of OneVoice Palestine's two-state grassroots activism, engaging and providing spaces for new and senior youth leaders to meet, collaborate and create imaginative programming. With 18 active chapters, from Bethlehem to Qalqilya, OneVoice Palestine's Youth Leadership Program has grown by more than 120 members in the first six months, with a total of nearly 600 youth leaders working across the West Bank.

Samer Makhlouf, executive director of OneVoice Palestine, shares the movement's mission and work with hundreds from Hebron’s outlying villages during trivia night at the public park in the West Bank town of Nouba.