OneVoice Movement

London panel debates leadership and legacy of Shimon Peres

Panellists debate the legacy of President Shimon Peres: (L-R) Dr. Ghada Karmi, John Lyndon, Richard Symons, and Paul Charney.

By Anthony Silkoff

Boring?  A father figure?  An over-achiever?  A failure? Conflicted?  These were the varied descriptions of Israel’s President, Shimon Peres, which an audience of activists, students, Israelis, Palestinians, and others at Kings College, London, heard on January 30.

OneVoice Europe hosted a panel discussion on leadership in the aftermath of the Israeli election. Following a screening of the acclaimed documentary, The Price of Kings: Shimon Peres, a panel of speakers offered their take on Peres as a leader and the legacy he will leave in Israel and Palestine.

There was inevitably much disagreement on the panel, with different points of view represented by Paul Charney (Chair, Zionist Federation), Dr. Ghada Karmi (Palestinian activist and academic), John Lyndon (Executive Director, OneVoice Europe), and Richard Symons (Co-Director, The Price of Kings).

There was as much criticism as there was praise for Shimon Peres, which was unsurprising for a such a long-serving political figure. 

Dr. Karmi was forthright in her view, saying she found him “to be so boring in that movie” asking “what has he achieved?” and suggesting she would find a film about assassinated Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin far more interesting. 

Paul Charney found much more to be positive about, observing that “Peres was instrumental in the pulling out of Lebanon and a key figure in the Oslo accords.”  Watching both the film and the debate, I was simply struck by the sheer, undeniable, expanse of his experience, having spent decades at the frontline of Israeli politics.

However, what is also hard to deny, is that all political leaders so far have failed in their attempts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  The occupation remains; Palestinians and Israelis both live in fear and insecurity; neither side lives in peace. So given the gravity of this situation, there is little point drawing up a ranking of the “best” and “worst” politicians of each side.  Rather, we need to support a new generation of leaders who are courageous enough to make a two-state solution become reality.

The young Israelis and Palestinians at the forefront of OneVoice’s grassroots campaigns continue to make me immensely proud to be part of this Movement. I often hear people quote Gandhi – “be the change” - our young activists are doing, not quoting; leading, not following.

In the past six months alone, OneVoice Israel activists compelled their fellow citizens to “Wake up!” to the reality of politicians who want to damage the two-state solution.  OneVoice Palestine activists went out across the West Bank, planting trees for a new forest and demanding an end to settlement expansion.

Summing up proceedings, OneVoice Europe Executive Director John Lyndon made just that point, explaining out that there are many different ways to lead.

“Peres represents a totemic figure in Israeli political life,” Lyndon said. “But across the Middle East, young people are taking the initiative themselves, and pressing the case for change. Whether it’s the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets for social justice or the millions across the Arab world who have demanded democracy and justice, it is clear that new dynamics are emerging, with youth at the fore.”

So yes, leaders of all countries have failed to achieve Israeli-Palestinian peace, but hope is not lost when a new generation is so clearly putting its foot down.  No more excuses.  Two states, now.  As internationals, let’s make sure we support them every step of the way.

OneVoice will be screening the second film in The Price of Kings series, examining the life and leadership of Yasser Arafat, on the February 27 in London. Please email [email protected] for more details.  

 

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.

FULL TRANSCRIPT: David Miliband's speech at OneVoice Europe gala dinner

The Rt. Hon. David Miliband delivering the keynote speech at OneVoice Europe's gala dinner.

Text of speech by former UK Foreign Secretary, the Rt. Hon. David Miliband, delivered on Monday, March 19, at OneVoice Europe's gala dinner in London.

After welcoming everyone to the event, David Miliband had special words of thanks for the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who attended the event and has supported OneVoice Europe since it was established in 2006.

The Archbishop [of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams] has not feared to tread into the Middle East, but equally he has not trod without great care; building bridges across religious divides. And, although, it is not our topic tonight, the terrible shootings in Toulouse remind us that building bridges and respect is one of the duties of public leadership, and I think Rowan Williams has discharged those duties with enormous compassion and commitment. And I feel it is important to say that.

You, the supporters of OneVoice, make something that is necessary, that is unique and that is right, possible. You make the dialogue and discussion of Israelis and Palestinians, especially young Israelis and Palestinians, possible. And just because something is necessary and right and unique doesn’t mean it would happen. So it is important to recognize that some of the things that you will hear about tonight in the film and the speeches wouldn’t happen without your commitment.

I first met the young OneVoice leaders with David Levin in 2008 and I immediately saw from that meeting that they were both ordinary, and extraordinary. You have got two remarkable young leaders here tonight and they are going to speak to you from Israel and Palestine. They were ordinary young people because they were idealistic, brave, raw in the way that they expressed themselves, insightful. And I think those are qualities that if you take the time to talk to young people around the world, you actually find in great abundance. But they were also extraordinary, because they were defying conventional opinion in their own communities. By 2008, any notion that there was an inevitability about a two-state solution had disappeared, but more than that, it was no longer fashionable to be talking about a two-state solution in the Middle East. And so these young people were, I think, extraordinary in the way they defied conventional opinion.

What I most liked about them was that they were trying to mobilize something that money can’t buy. That is people-power! They were trying to mobilize opinion and action for a great and vital cause for both of their communities. In that sense they were trying to live out that hackneyed phrase of ‘be the change that is within you.’ They were actually doing it themselves and I have to say they taught me something very, very important. I spent 20 years trying to help the Labour Party become a good government for the people, but what OneVoice amongst others taught me was that you can’t have a good government for the people unless you have a commitment to the government by the people. The emphasis in OneVoice of government by the people and mobilization of the people has a very wide resonance. The achievements are not to be sniffed at, at all. Merely the plan itself sends a tremendous message, I think, to communities right around the world. The individual actions, whether it be reopening the Gaza office, mobilizing to block the recent illegal outposts bill, reaching out to the United States and to universities, doing some tremendous work in Britain, actually, in universities where both Palestinians and Jewish communities have felt under some kind of siege. OneVoice has been able to show in Britain that actually dialogue is the answer to an end of that siege.

So I want to say to you tonight that we are supporting an organization that is doing some important good. And if I only said that, I think you would go away dissatisfied because that is not the whole truth. I think in 2012, it is important to recognize that’s not the whole truth because the wider truth is that OneVoice is doing some good in circumstances that are basically very bad. In fact, the circumstances in many ways have rarely been worse in the last 30 or 40 years. I think it would be dishonest, and I have otherwise said publicly, that the failure to establish a Palestinian state next to Israel is the greatest diplomatic failure in 40 years. It’s the greatest diplomatic failure because, actually, it is one of those international problems to which there is actually a viable solution. There is a young man here from the University of Manchester, he was at the event I did in Manchester last week, where I was asked about Somalia, and the truth is I really don’t know what the answer is in Somalia. But in respect to that small piece of land at the heart of the Middle East, I do think my opinion and that of the majority of Israelis and Palestinians, which is that you need two states able to live side by side with each other, is the right answer. It is the greatest failure of diplomacy because diplomacy has failed to bring it about, and there is suffering and injustice and insecurity on both sides as a result. Great suffering, great injustice and great insecurity.

This is a very challenging period because in blunt terms, to speak in basic politics to you, the Israel-Palestine question is probably now fourth or fifth on the Middle East political agenda, nevermind on the global political agenda. I say that to you not to depress you, but to tell you both the truth and also to say to you that the fundraising that is going to be done later tonight is even more important because of that political context. If in fact this was a fashionable cause that was the inevitable product of history, then OneVoice would be worthwhile, but much less necessary. It is because there is a real question about whether the two-state solution will ever be achieved that it is even more necessary than ever. The truth is that the agenda in Israel, in the United States, and I have to say in the large part in the Gulf is not about Israel and Palestine, it is about Iran. The truth is that the Arab Spring has turned regional attention away from the Israel-Palestine question. The Israel Spring, the Tel Aviv Spring that took place last March, was notable for many things, one of which was that the word ‘Palestine’ was not mentioned at all in the demonstrations that took place in the heart of Tel Aviv. The Palestinian Spring has not yet sprung and it’s for those reasons this cause, this cause that I think is vital to the state of Israel and vital to the people of Palestine, has fallen to being fourth or fifth on the regional agenda.

The danger is that the leaders are not leading in the search for the answer, and it is that danger that makes the work of OneVoice especially important. I am saying so for a very particular reason, which is at the heart of something that is very important to me in politics. Some people will tell you that hope leads to action. And I am afraid to tell you that is profoundly wrong. Action leads to hope, and that’s what makes OneVoice important. Action leads to hope because it achieves successes, however small, that inspire confidence in greater successes. Action leads to hope because it requires the building of coalitions that can make change. Action leads to hope because it requires you to persuade people who are not immediately of your frame of mind. Action leads to hope because it allows you to say here are tangible gains as a result of what has been done. And if OneVoice is about anything, it is actually about action first and hope as its product rather than a vain call to hope that one day might produce action. The world frankly is full of people who can make speeches about why things should be better and it is not full enough of people who are making it better. That is essentially what I take the message of OneVoice to be.

My own view about the ultimate negotiations that need to take place, the substantive negotiations, is very much in line with the OneVoice vision in terms of the substance of the settlement, but I would also add, just as an international relations gloss, that my own instinct is that this Israel-Palestine question will only ever be settled in the context of a wider Arab settlement with Israel. In other words, we have to regionalize the political solution. That was, after all, the vision of the Arab Peace Initiative in 2002 -- the 10th anniversary next month is a very significant moment of reflection. It was the time when every Arab state of the Arab League said it would recognize Israel in return for the creation of a Palestinian state. So we need to regionalize the solution. In my view, we also need internationalize the diplomatic effort. If we rely only on the United States as the motor of progress in the region, then I am afraid we are going to be waiting a very long time. The United States is a very important actor in promoting international diplomacy to resolve this question, but it can’t be the only actor. It needs to be part of a wider coalition.

This is all not the main point of tonight. The main point of tonight is to say that the flame of hope for a two-state solution is only kept alive by action, and that is what I think OneVoice can do. If you think about it, there is a double meaning in the title of OneVoice. Because on its own, what is just one voice?  Nothing. It’s lost into the air. But the double meaning of the organization of OneVoice is of many people speaking with one voice. And when many people speak with one voice, they are not isolated, dissipated, diluted and lost into the atmosphere. They are, rather, magnified into a call that is heard far and wide. I think what the young people have done in joining voices is to reject the pessimism that says ‘my voice is meaningless, I am alone, I can’t do anything.’ There are plenty of people propagating this view about politics, whether in Israel or in Palestine, but instead these youth are recognizing that as part of a bigger coalition, one voice can mean that louder, stronger, and more forceful sense that you are part of something bigger than yourself.

Let me just finish on the following note. I think that it is true, and some of you will know this better than I, that in many people’s hearts and heads, in Israel and in Palestine, the talk of a “peace process” rings hollow. Calls for a new, renewed, integrated “peace process” rings hollow. What isn’t hollow is the notion that human beings need to find a better way of living together than one that is separated by distrust. What OneVoice tries to do is in a way the most difficult thing, but also the most noble thing in politics, which is get people who think they have divergent interests to recognize that they actually have convergent interests. It’s my profound passion that the whole world is more unjust and less safe as a result of our failure in the Middle East, but it is also my conviction that the peoples of the Middle East have some remarkable strengths, and if only the strengths that we know exist amongst both Israelis and Palestinians could be mobilized in common cause, then the future of the Middle East will not be the bloodletting mistrust that has typified so much of the past.

So, if that is the spirit you have come here with tonight, the commitment you want to make, certainly my commitment, then I really hope you will be able to not just raise a glass but get out your checkbook to support an organization in a part of the world that has too few organizations that are flames of hope and really continue to make a difference. Thank you very much.

WATCH: In Conversation with Miliband and Mitchell (FULL VERSION)

London, October 19, 2011—OneVoice held an event at Chatham House with Rt. Hon. David Miliband MP, former UK Foreign Secretary, and Sen. George Mitchell, former US Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, to discuss the future of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the two-state solution. Watch the full video recording of the event.

The video recording is provided courtesy of Chatham House.

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.

At Israeli-Palestinian Radio Station, Peace is the Word

By Jennifer Prystupa*

When this year is over, it will be remembered as the Year of the Protest, a time when millions of people across the Middle East stood up for what they believed in: freedom, fairness, and a better future.

The power of the masses, from Tunis to Damascus, brought the world’s attention to the plight of the everyday citizen. There is one area, however, that remains a stoic island in a stormy sea of change: Israel and Palestine. Within the heart of the stoic island, a non-profit radio station in Jerusalem called All for Peace is joining with the international grassroots OneVoice Movement to keep the conversation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict going. 

Founded in 2004, All for Peace broadcasts in Hebrew, Arabic, and English and is the only joint Israeli-Palestinian radio station of its kind in Israel. Run by a team of 60 volunteers and reaching 33,000 people, it seeks to bring to the forefront the concerns of Israelis and Palestinians of all demographics, touching on domestic and international issues, with the conflict as a main focus.

“In Israel, the concern is civil rights and freedom of speech,” said Tammi Molad-Hayo, program manager at All for Peace and a seasoned Israeli journalist. “For the Palestinians, the concern is about building democracy and their own state. We need to empower both and break the barrier of fear of the unknown.”

This is proving more difficult because of the stalled peace talks and the impending UN vote on Palestinian statehood slated for September 21. The recent quid pro quo rocket attacks against Israel and the retaliation that followed, coupled with strained Israeli-Egyptian relations, does not bode well for any impending deal.

All for Peace is not like the mainstream Israeli media, Molad-Hayo explained. The station does not report on sensationalized “man bites dog” stories, nor does it indulge talking heads shouting their opinions. It tries to promote a culture of listening, providing more than 20-second sound bites and trying to discover the reasons for discord, she said.

For these very reasons, All for Peace has teamed up with OneVoice Israel, a branch of the OneVoice Movement, a nonprofit that supports moderate Israelis and Palestinians seeking a two-state solution. Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel, has hosted a radio show on Mondays for several weeks, hosting volunteers from the movement – Israeli and Palestinian – Knesset members, and other organizations for conversation. Recently, he moderated a Peace Now/Judea-Samaria Council debate on settlements.

“All for Peace is a platform for getting answers directly from experts and members of the Knesset and to give publicity to their answers,” said Harris. “It’s also a great way to hear Palestinians on the radio without getting a permit for them to reach out to thousands of Israelis.”

Ahmad Omeir, senior OneVoice Palestine youth leader, was on the program and echoes Harris’ thoughts.

“What makes All for Peace unique is that it allows Israeli listeners to see that there are active Palestinian partners,” Omeir said. “We can reach out to the polarized populations and bring them to the moderate middle in an attempt to explain the needs [of all parties] so we can move forward.”

Social issues are a big topic, especially due to the recent Israeli protests on quality of life issues like housing and food prices. Harris said he sees a connection between what is going on in Israel and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the upcoming UN vote.

“Until we solve the conflict, the national focus on security will always be a heavy lid on the cooking pot of social issues,” Harris said. “OneVoice’s mission is to rid the heavy lid from the social pressure boiling beneath while providing more buzz about September and social issue demonstrations, taking any Netanyahu speeches with a grain of salt.”

Molad-Hayo believes that it will take time for Israelis to get what they want domestically before they look to solving the conflict again.

“The public hasn’t said a word for decades, and suddenly people have found their voice through the pain of everyday life,” she said. “There is a connection between the ideology and the occupation and the socioeconomic life, but we are in just the beginning of our revolution.”

*Jennifer Prystupa is the communications intern at OneVoice. Her article was originally published on PolicyMic: http://www.policymic.com/articles/at-israeli-palestinian-radio-station-peace-is-the-word.

Political Elites Have Failed Israelis and Palestinians

By Dr. Howard Sumka*

Weeks away from the anticipated and highly contentious United Nations General Assembly vote on Palestinian statehood, it's timely to ask what went wrong and what might move the issue in a better direction. Despite fears of the Palestinian streets reacting in frustration, it is appropriate now to look to the street for the solution.

Hand-wringing about the coming "diplomatic tsunami," as the Israelis have dubbed it, has dominated the attention of Middle East analysts. While the elites bumble along, public opinion polls consistently demonstrate broad support on both sides for a two-state solution. It may not be clear exactly what end-state they envision or what process they think might get them there, but that a large majority aspires to a stable, conflict-free future is unmistakable.

The United States has made clear its opposition to the matter going to the UN, accusing the Palestinians of unilateralism and sensing a plot to delegitimize Israel. As opposition to the UN vote by the US and, to some extent, Europe has crystallized, the Palestinian political leadership has wavered, many fear the West will follow through on its threats to cut off the assistance that has guaranteed the Palestinian Authority its fiscal viability and largely bankrolled Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's state-building program.

The US, where resolutions threatening to do just that recently won overwhelming support in both the House and Senate, has made clear that it is willing to let four years of exceptional economic growth and institutional development get wiped out. With only sporadic, begrudging, and anemic support from the Arab states, the PA already finds itself in dire financial straits, having been unable to meet its payroll fully or on time for two months.

Ironically, the US, which has invested about $2 billion to help the PA realize its vision of statehood and which has enthusiastically and repeatedly touted its success, now finds itself arguing vehemently against international recognition of their statehood. It is working to undermine moves in that direction -- no matter that the US has recently recognized the new states of Kosovo, East Timor, and South Sudan, all with governments no better equipped than the PA to run a state. And now it has awarded diplomatic recognition to the Libyan rebels, who have no government at all.

That the Obama Administration would likely take a very different approach but for its fear of the implications for the 2012 elections matters little to the Palestinians, who no longer feel they have a friend in America. The clearest signal came with the UN Security Council vote on the settlements resolution, when the US found itself vetoing the very language it had been using for decades. America's UN Ambassador Susan Rice found herself hard-pressed to make a coherent post-vote statement. And for the first time in recent memory, Palestinian youth went to the streets in Ramallah to denounce America. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's masterful manipulation of US politics, however, the handwriting was clearly on the wall. The US position will not budge. Senator George Mitchell's resignation as the Special Envoy and the recent failed Quartet meeting capped the nearly universal pessimism.

The US, cautioned by many to stay out of the Middle East morass until the parties themselves show more commitment, has unfortunately done grievous injury. A process that was moribund is now in crisis. An exceptionally unified Israeli leadership is unwilling to negotiate except on terms unacceptable to the Palestinians, while the fractured Palestinian leadership is simply unable to bring itself to the negotiating table.

The Arab Spring has demonstrated the power of the masses to effect broad political change even if we still don't know exactly where those changes will wind up. Palestinians too have begun to demonstrate peacefully for change. The March 15 movement helped push Fatah and Hamas to reconciliation talks, and thousands of Israelis and Palestinians marched through Jerusalem to voice their frustrations and support for a sovereign Palestinian state.

Despite the unlikelihood that the negotiators will return to the table before September, never mind reach agreement on anything significant, we can't just walk away. It's time to recognize that the political elites have failed and drive the process from the grassroots. Non-violent mobilization on both sides, clearly aimed at the only viable, long-term solution of two-independent states will force the entrenched elites to think again about what they have been doing for two decades. Using social media to catalyze action, as it has throughout the Middle East, activists can get the message out.

Each side needs confidence that it has a partner for peace. Each needs to understand the essential simplicity of the solutions to the core issues. And each must convince its leaders it is ready to make the essential but painful compromises.

*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. Follow Dr. Howard Sumka on Twitter: www.twitter.com/HowardSumka.

The article was originally published by The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-howard-sumka/political-elites-have-fai_b_908211.html

OneVoice talks lessons of Arab Spring for Israel and Palestine

From left: OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris, Rt. Hon. Dr. Denis MacShane MP, RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor, OneVoice Palestine Executive Director Samer Makhlouf, and Dr. Claire Spencer examine lessons for of Arab Spring for Israel and Palestine at Royal Society of the Arts on July 14.  

London, July 14, 2011—Leaders of the OneVoice Movement examined the lessons of the Arab Spring and the potential for mobilizing the grassroots as a force for peace between Israel and Palestine at the Royal Society for the Arts on Thursday.

An audience of 180 listened to and interacted with a panel of speakers, including OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris and OneVoice Palestine Executive Director Samer Makhlouf, who debated the failure of politicians to forge a successful framework. The speakers agreed that the masses must take the initiative to secure a peaceful future. 

“The elites have duped the Israeli people into seeing success as perceptual conflict management,” said Harris. “It is our job to show Israel that it can end the conflict and change its own circumstances.”

The debate, moderated by RSA Chief Executive Matthew Taylor, offered the opportunity for grassroots, academia, and the political elite to collect their thoughts on where things are headed in the Middle East at this uncertain time. The Rt. Hon. Dr. Denis MacShane MP, former British foreign office minister, and Dr. Claire Spencer, head of the Middle East and North Africa Program at Chatham House, rounded out the group of panelists.

The notion that Middle Eastern nations are ruled by nepotistic dictators is coming to a close. There is wide agreement among the populace that freedom is a fundamental human right of all peoples and their life, voice, and vote are more important than ever.

“Palestinians taught the Arab people how to take charge with the first intifada [uprising], but we need our brothers to remind us of our own power,” said Makhlouf. “The people are no longer willing to allow the elites to fail again and are taking their struggle against the occupation and for freedom to the streets.”

Dr. MacShane struck a note of caution by warning that grassroots activism – however well intentioned – still required responsible political leadership to produce tangible results. “The Arab Spring, I’m afraid… is lacking a clear political platform and true change will require resilient leadership,” he said.

“It’s been fantastic to have such a cross-section of opinion and analyses this evening,” said John Lyndon, executive director of OneVoice Europe. “For too long, this conflict has been trapped in grim certainties and crippling inertia. What we have heard this evening demonstrates that – perhaps for the first time in a generation – the ground beneath the feet of the political leadership is shifting. Moderates on both sides must now unite to ensure that their leaders respond bravely before this opportunity for transformational change is lost.”

OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka talks to Voice of America

New York, June 29, 2011—OneVoice CEO Howard Sumka sat down with Voice of America's Davin Hutchins to discuss the impact young Israelis and Palestinians can have on reviving negotiations and shaping the peace process in a changing Middle East.

OneVoice participates in the UNAOC Civil Society Pre-Forum in Doha

By Rachel Steinberg*

OneVoice Israel Executive Director Tal Harris interview at UNAOC Doha Pre Forum 2011.

I was among three members from OneVoice selected to participate in the United Nations Alliance of Civilization (UNAOC) Civil Society Pre-Forum in Doha, Qatar, on May 3 and 4. We joined more than 190 civil society leaders from 80 countries.

The pre-forum focused on building new partnership with civil society organizations and addressing the “the convergence of intercultural, governance and development issues, with a special focus on the Arab World.” Established in 2005, UNAOC fosters intercultural understanding and cooperation to achieve sustainable peace, with a focus on education, media, migration, and youth.

I knew that I was in for a unique two days when I hopped on the shuttle bus from the Doha airport to the hotel along with a 22-year-old Yemeni man, an elderly Russian man, and a young Mexican woman, all of whom had come to participate in this event. At the hotel, I met up with Tal Harris, executive director of OneVoice Israel, and John Lyndon, executive director of OneVoice Europe.

The three of us attended panel discussions, keynote addresses, and break-out sessions that dealt with best practices for demanding accountability and change from our leaders in order to achieve peace and development. The best sessions were those that showed the UNAOC, seasoned professionals, and young people alike recognizing the power of youth to create change, witnessed in the revolts currently sweeping the Middle East.

Isabelle Legare, UNAOC’s youth program manager, shared with the group several initiatives, including creating a youth network, a youth video festival, and a UNAOC summer school focused on intercultural dialogue. All of these initiatives seek to raise the awareness of decision makers, strengthen the capacity of youth organizations, and share information among youth.

Ajarat Bada from One Young World spoke about their global summits that bring together thousands of young people to discuss pressing global issues and then present resolutions to leaders.  Across the sessions, there seemed to be the proliferation of the sentiment that youth in many Arab countries have broken taboos that have existed for centuries.

I did, however, leave some sessions with an overwhelming feel that the challenge we have going forward lies in empowering young people elsewhere, for instance in Israel and Palestine, to create social or political change. I especially felt the strength of this call to action given our conference location in the heart of the Arab world.

It was impossible to not constantly discuss what we could learn from the ongoing protests in many countries across the Middle East. For the past several months, we’ve seen young people raise their voices and mobilize their own societies to create change. We’ve seen governments finally not given a choice but to listen to their citizens.

This pre-forum allowed citizens from all over the world to connect with each other, share their experiences, and discuss how to build on the momentum of the so-called “Arab Spring” to fully realize the power of civil society.

I’m used to going to conferences and meeting representatives of other nongovernmental organizations that all work on issues related to Israel and Palestine, but this experience was unique for me because I had the opportunity to meet people from Africa, South America, Asia, and Europe. I was able to draw connections between OneVoice’s work and the work they are doing to create more peaceful, developed, and engaged societies.

Although I wish there had been more time built into the conference for brainstorming proposals for civil society involvement in the main forum scheduled to take place in Doha this December, I found the experience to be enriching and rewarding.

The most productive aspects came from the conversations I had with people from the Gaza Strip, Finland, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Indonesia, the United States, and more, which allowed me to deliver OneVoice’s message and forge partnerships that will strengthen the grassroots throughout the world to create positive change.

*Rachel Steinberg is International Education Program manager at OneVoice US.