OneVoice Movement

British communities to face "The Elephant in the Room" on May 28

2013-05-16T11:34:29-04:00

Every summer, OneVoice holds a residential program for university students in London, which includes those who have just completed their A-levels and are about to go to university for the first time.

The course involves talks and workshops from politicians, religious leaders, university lecturers, and ordinary Israelis and Palestinians, covering topics around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict such as: the role of religion, the role of the US, EU, and UN, history and narratives of the conflict, economics and the conflict, potential solutions for the conflict, plus training in public speaking and debating skills.

In a promotional event on May 28, British community members are invited to find out more about how the young participants of this program have achieved something that is so elusive in interfaith relations – a constructive discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Without seeking to agree, the students embark together on a program that so deeply engages them in the complexities of the issue that polarized black and white narratives actually become impossible to maintain.

Three speakers from the Abrahamic faiths: Imam Usama Hasan, Rabbi Natan Levy, and Canon Robert Reiss will join the panel for the event, which is expected to bring a ray of hope to an area of inter-communal dialogue that adults and young people alike normally fear and avoid.

To attend "The Elephant in the Room" or for more information, please contact Sharon Alsoodani: sharon@onevoicemovement.org.uk.

OneVoice gathers EU support in Brussels and Ramallah

2013-05-13T12:21:36-04:00

Andreas Reinicke, European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process, along with the EU delegation, met with OneVoice Palestine in Ramallah May 7.

In a week where the United States started a new push for Mid-East peace, OneVoice sought to ensure another big player - the European Union – stepped up to play its role.

On May 7, while OneVoice Europe (OVE) staff were in Brussels gathering support from politicians, OneVoice Palestine (OVP) youth leaders in Ramallah were paid a visit by Dr. Andreas Reinicke, the EU’s Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process.

Dr. Reinicke – appointed by the EU to push for a two-state solution – chose OVP as the first civil society representatives he has met in the West Bank. In an hour-and-half-long discussion, Reinicke and OVP youth leaders seized the opportunity to quiz one another on the status of the two-state solution.

Reinicke wanted the view from the grassroots: what do Palestinian youth think of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s new peace plan?

“The economic path to peace is good, but it must be followed by a very serious effort on the political level,” said Mohammed Asideh, OVP's field coordinator and senior youth leader.

While Reinicke said he agreed, Samer Makhlouf, OVP’s executive director, wanted to underscore this point.

“Palestinians need a guarantee that Kerry is talking about real peace - and an end to the occupation - not just economic peace,” he said.

Dr. Reinicke was also keen to know what Palestinians want from the EU. The youth leaders in the room had a long shopping list for Reinicke – more consensus across EU states that the occupation should end now; more pressure on the US to be a truly neutral mediator; a more visible role in negotiations by the EU itself; and for the EU to set the parameters of the peace process, based on the Arab Peace Initiative and international law.

As the meeting ended, Dr. Reinicke thanked OVP for its time and efforts in Palestine.

''It was a pleasure meeting all of you today," he told OVP. "I have written down some notes and I assure you your inputs were very valuable."

Meanwhile in Brussels, OVE was meeting MEPs from across the political spectrum – Greens, Socialists, and Conservatives – to garner support for OneVoice’s work in Israel and Palestine. Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering MEP, former president of the European Parliament and a supporter of the movement since he hosted OneVoice youth leaders at a session of the Parliament, reiterated his support for OneVoice to keep pushing the political leaders toward ending the conflict.

John Lyndon, OVE’s Executive Director, and Anthony Silkoff, OVE’s Advocacy Coordinator, were told by Pöttering they could count on his support to increase momentum toward a two-state solution now, before it becomes too late.

OneVoice Europe Executive Director John Lyndon (left) and Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator Anthony Silkoff (right) with Dr. Hans-Gert Pöttering MEP, former president of the European Parliament, in Brussels.

OneVoice youth leaders showcase women’s activism on IEP tour

2013-05-06T11:10:09-04:00

OVI’s Elanit Green addresses Religion, Empowerment, and the Role of Women in Nationalist Movements class at Yale University as Dr. Sallama Shaker and OVP’s Malaka Samara listen on.

It wasn’t that long ago when Malaka Samara’s family members were jailed or killed during the Palestinian intifadas. It also wasn’t that long ago when Elanit Green’s mother was at the sight of a suicide attack in southern Israel and neither knew each other’s fate.

Notwithstanding difficulties in living amidst the Second Intifada and beyond, these two women displayed some of the strongest mental fortitude and determination seen among their peers when they decided for themselves that the status quo – occupation, violence, and paralyzing fear – is not what they want to live with.

From April 8-16, Malaka, 35, and Elanit, 26, told their stories and shared their roles as peace activists to over 600 audience members in New York City and Southern California. While the tour spanned about 3,000 miles and encompassed over 20 events of varying diversity, both women managed to bring a sense of the familiar, a sense of what it’s like for women to work for peace in Israel and Palestine.

Malaka spoke about the difficulties of living under occupation—restrictions in movement, lack of economic opportunity, and confiscations of Palestinian land. Elanit described the current reality in Israel – since most Israelis do not feel the conflict on a daily basis, many have become indifferent to solving the conflict and fear changing the status quo.

Standing crisply at the podium to scan her American audience, Malaka introduced Women of Influence, the new program she is leading in OneVoice Palestine.

“I started Women of Influence because I think that it’s important for every Palestinian to take an action to end the occupation, and women are some of the most important Palestinian citizens you can imagine,” she explained. “They are mothers, they are wives, they are sisters, and they are daughters. And in every household you’ll find a woman. They educate the new generation, the future leaders. If they are not aware of the political situation they are not able to make the necessary improvements in our community.”

OneVoice has offered opportunities not only for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but also for progress on social and political issues facing the Israeli and Palestinian societies. For Malaka, it is highlighting the importance of empowering women leaders in Palestine to work to end the occupation. For Elanit, who is politically active on and off Ben Gurion University’s campus, it is voicing the connection between the social justice issues inside the Green Line and government spending on settlements that keep the occupation in place.

“[What was missing from the social justice protests in 2011 was that] all of the power and energy behind the protests didn’t have a political link and Israelis didn’t ask where the money was going,” Elanit explained. “We haven’t had any negotiations for years now, and we’re frozen in our political situation.

“So in 2012, OneVoice pointed on those links that were missing and tried to connect the economic situation to the fact that we’re frozen in negotiations,” she continued. “We’re spending so much on security and settlement expansion. OneVoice tried to create the link and say that because we’re frozen in negotiations is part of the reason why we’re having so many economic problems. We need to freeze the settlements to unfreeze the negotiations.”

The two speakers came to the U.S. not only to share with American audiences their experiences and efforts, but also to engage the various communities in the U.S. toward peacebuilding, which ignited discussion on universal women’s empowerment.

In New York, Malaka and Elanit took part in a women’s NGO meeting at the United Nations, addressed progressive rabbinical students at Yeshiva Chovevei Torah, networked with young professionals, and reached out to students at Fordham Business School, New York University, Columbia, and nearby Bard and Yale.

Malaka and Elanit also traveled to Southern California, where they spoke at two events hosted by the Islamic Center of Southern California, as well as with J Street Young Professionals and students at Occidental and Santa Monica Colleges, University of Southern California, University of California-Irvine, and California State University-Long Beach.

Elanit and Malaka, now home in their respective communities, will continue to push for an end to the occupation and advocate for the two-state solution. If the memories of their difficulties surface again, as they often can, these young women will take comfort in knowing their present work will make the future a better place for their peoples.

Malaka Samara addresses UC Irvine’s conflict resolution class.

Elanit Green addresses an anthropology class at Santa Monica College.

Swings, Roundabouts, and the Occupation: OVP protests land confiscations in Jericho

2013-04-23T16:41:53-04:00

Zubaydat's citizens joined OVP to peacefully protest land confiscation near their village.

The children of Zubaydat want a playground. A slide, a pair of swings, maybe a climbing frame; not a big ask for 500 children, perhaps. But while they just want to play, the kids of this West Bank village also find themselves living under military occupation.

Zubaydat is at the nexus of a territorial conflict that – quite literally – insists on coming between the kids and their playground. Now, OneVoice Palestine (OVP), a movement of Palestinian youth, have decided that it’s time to play their role in ending the occupation and giving the village’s children their freedom to play, literally.

“The kids used to play in a small area just west of the village,” said Wasim Masri, communications officer at OVP. “But the Israeli authorities declared the area a closed military zone and told the villagers to keep their kids away from the playground.”

In 2009, the villagers requested permission from the Israeli authorities to build a new playground, but this request was denied, according to Masri.

The occupation is about more than just playgrounds and it impacts more people than children alone. The Oslo Accords classified 99 percent of the village as area C, Masri explained.

The ‘C’ classification grants Israel full civil and security control over the area which, for residents of Zubaydat, means frequent raids by soldiers, repressive building restrictions, as well as constant water shortages, because the occupation prevents villagers renovating or digging new wells. Furthermore, the demands of Israeli settlers – keen to expand their territory – lead to continued confiscations of Palestinian land, including Zubaydat’s old playground.

As part of a program of activism to prevent further confiscations and save the viability of a Palestinian state, OVP activists in Jericho marched to Zubaydat to protest settlement expansion. Land around the village continues to be seized for the nearby Israeli settlement of Argaman.

The activists, joined by locals, civil society organizations, community leaders, and Jericho’s governorate office, marched to the separation wall south of Jericho, carrying trees and Palestinian flags to plant in an area threatened by confiscation.

Townspeople and youth leaders from different cities in the West Bank set the village of Zubaydat, north of Jericho, as a the starting point for the activity. According to OVP youth leaders, their initiative comes in response to the Israeli policies, which prevent farmers from reaching their lands in areas where agriculture is the main source of income, such as Zubaydat.

OVP Executive Director Samer Makhlouf expressed the need for these types of actions.

“Palestinians will continue carrying out non-violent resistance against the occupation and settlement expansion in the West Bank in order to deliver a message to the world that we are the owners of this land,” said Makhlouf. “Settlements are the biggest obstacle facing the two-state solution and the peace process.”

The youth leaders and townspeople, cheering and showing support for one another, proceeded to plant many trees near the separation wall.

“Our goal is to support the citizens of Zubaydat,” said OVP’s youth leader and the village’s own Hamza Zubaydat.

Indeed, the OVP youth leaders have promised their campaign won’t stop until a viable and independent Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital is created. Only when the occupation is ended will the villagers of Zubaydat gain the freedom to farm on all their land, dig the wells they need for water, and rebuild their children’s playground.

OVP’s activists and townspeople of Zubaydat marching to the land south of the separation wall in Jericho.

Zubaydat's location in Area C.

OVE's Education Program reaches new audiences yet holds to its roots

2013-04-18T09:39:41-04:00

OVI’s Gabi Avner speaks to Moseley School students on March 6.

March was an extremely successful tour month for OneVoice Europe’s Outreach and Education Program (O&E).

Gabi Avner of OneVoice Israel and Ahmed Shtaya of OneVoice Palestine toured the three cities of London, Birmingham, and Manchester on the first tour reaching over 500 people, while Nanor Arakelian of OVP and Maya Peretz of OVI addressed over 600 people on a second tour in London. Both tours paved the way for O&E to connect with established supporters and reach new groups in 2013.

The Moseley School in Birmingham was one of the first schools that partnered with OneVoice for pilot sessions in 2010. The school’s students – many of whom with predominantly Muslim backgrounds – find the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be a sensitive issue. O&E made it a priority to return to Moseley and discuss the conflict during the first tour.

“We learned about the needs of the two different states… and that after all everyone wants freedom and not to live in war,” one Moseley student said after the event.

During the second tour, O&E had the opportunity to conduct an event it had never done before. In the London Borough of Waltham Forest is a branch of the Youth Offending Service. Enrolled in this program are young people with experiences in conflict, including gang violence in London neighborhoods. The enrollees responded well to the stories of OneVoice youth leaders Israel and Palestine and what these activists are doing to turn their situation – the status quo of violence, conflict, and occupation – around for the better.

A case manager from the Youth Offending Team said it was only the second time that they had experienced a successful session from outside visitors with this group. The last time had been a session about child soldiers. It seems that the young people needed to address and process issues associated with conflict and were open to doing so with OneVoice youth leaders who shared some similar life experiences.

One of the group members thanked the OneVoice team for the intimate and informative talk. Reflecting on the day’s event, he simply yet poignantly said, “it’s real life out there.”

“I was eager to encounter audiences that had less knowledge about the conflict and the two-state solution,” said OneVoice Israel’s youth leaders, Maya Peretz. “I was wary that some of the audiences might not be so receptive, but these fears didn’t materialize, and I felt our encounters were quite productive. Most importantly was the fact that they got to hear both sides, and in a context of agreement and speaking in one voice.”

Along with 13 other schools in the cities, O&E had the opportunity to visit the East London Mosque, the EU Commission, and provided a speaker for an event with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, which also reaffirmed the belief in expanding O&E’s presence to untapped audiences while keeping close the early champions of OneVoice’s mission. It shows that a firm base is now established from which to facilitate dialogue in the UK about the end of the occupation and a just solution that will ensure equality, human rights, and that the conflict is ended.

"The tour experience was phenomenal and challenging,” said Nanor. “I had the opportunity to meet new people and felt that I actually am doing something for my country. I increased my knowledge about the conflict and became even more supportive of OneVoice. This tour motivated me to participate more in Palestine and also spread the word of the importance of two states.”

The success of the March tour and the program was also not lost on O&E Director Sharon Alsoodani.

“The Outreach and Education Program now has a broad base of participation and has developed over the past two years to become a multi-dimensional project,” said Sharon. “It offers an all-round package of intensive education, grassroots encounters with Israelis and Palestinians, and membership of a growing and diverse community that is for an end to the occupation and a win-win solution.”

Nanor Arakelian of OVP speaks to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign on March 24.