OneVoice Movement

President Obama must prioritize two-state solution in State of the Union tonight

Tonight, President Obama will speak to the American people about domestic and international issues in the annual State of the Union address.

We call on President Obama to listen to the voices of Israelis, Palestinians, and Americans, who are clamoring for a return to negotiations and for American leadership to bring the two sides together.

The efforts of OneVoice youth leaders and the thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who organize and attend town hall meetings, engage politicians, and take to the streets to end the occupation, the conflict, and achieve a two-state solution, demonstrates that peace is possible.

We ask that when President Obama outlines his foreign policy agenda tonight, he prioritizes a return to serious negotiations and leverages his leadership to focus on ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since September, OneVoice has petitioned the president to act swiftly and purposely on this pressing issue. The president recognizes the need to bring the parties back to the table, but he needs to hear from YOU that this is an urgent priority with wide-spread support.

In a month’s time, we will deliver our petition to the administration – right before the president’s trip to the Middle East. If you prioritize peace and if you think the people should have a voice, then support our youth leaders, sign our petition, and make your voice heard!  Add your name to the petition and share it widely with your networks.

Make sure this visit isn’t just a photo-op, but lays out a concrete path forward to reignite the peace process. Help us ensure that President Obama commits to achieving the two-state solution in this term.

Sign the petition now!

Want to do more?

1) Like us on Facebook
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3) Make a donation

 

Egyptian human rights activist living proof of hope

Left to right at top: OVI Youth Leadership Program Director Adva Vilchinski, Youth Leader Maya Peretz-Ruiz, YL Elad Laor, Egyptian activist Maikel Nabil Sanad, YL Nir Mekler, YL Gal Raij, and YL Livne Tslil. Left to right at bottom: YL Gabriel Avner, YL Smadar Cohen-Chen, and YL Liat Leizer.

In an intimate meeting room in Tel Aviv on January 1, OneVoice Israel staff and youth leaders met with a man of peace, of justice, and of grassroots mobilization.

Maikel Nabil Sanad is an Egyptian military conscientious objector, a human rights activist, well-known blogger, and 2012 Noble Peace Prize nominee. He spent 302 days in prison for writing articles on the Egyptian military’s human rights violations, and engaged in a 130-day hunger strike. Maikel was released from prison on Jan. 24, 2012, and toured Europe, the U.S., Egypt, and now Israel, speaking about democracy.

“Everyone was really excited to meet him,” said Smadar Cohen-Chen, 29, an OVI youth leader in attendance. “It was a cooperative, but laid-back atmosphere – very much like ‘what do you need from me and what do I need from you to keep [our goals] going.’”

Maikel and the OVI team spoke about several topics, but the relationship between Egypt and Israel was the most popular. The Muslim Brotherhood, the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s new constitution, and the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty were all on the table.

Likewise, feelings and concerns about the apparent quashing of the liberal movement within the Egyptian revolution was an item for discussion.

Maikel assured his audience that Egyptians got rid of Mubarak and will not settle for another dictatorship – yet revolutions take time, as the American and French Revolutions did, Smadar said.

What the American and French revolutionaries did not have, however, is the Internet. Both OVI and Maikel utilize online communities to spark grassroots mobilization, disseminate information that governments may not want the population to have, and to speak out against prevailing feelings of apathy and cynicism.

According to Smadar, a PhD. candidate in political psychology at the University of Sheffield (U.K.), the cynicism found in Israeli society tends to make people think in terms of ‘what happens if it [peace] doesn’t happen?’ instead of the opposite. She said that Maikel explained the need for Egyptians to act in order to survive, so apathy is not in order. Instead, there is tremendous positivity for the future of Egypt. 

“Maikel thinks differently,” she said. “He framed his message as, ‘I know it will work – I’m not sure when, but it will.’ It was a moment of pure optimism – and for someone who has suffered, a truly hopeful and positive scene.”

Hope is something Smadar is studying. Her dissertation focuses on emotions as a barrier to conflict resolution, specifically hope, and its alter ego, despair. She didn’t have to go far to get a glimpse of her work in action.

“In this meeting, Maikel proved what I am trying to prove academically: when people see the world as changing and dynamic, they tend to have hope for the future, and vice versa,” she continued. “Hope is universal, but we need individuals who can drive it into the heart of a larger society.”

Images of Israel: To Yuval Bar, ‘Rocking’ the Casbah’ a good idea

Students at Ben Gurion University listen to an introduction to the Israeli film, "Rock the Casbah," on December 16.

Movies are meant to be an escape, allowing the audience to forget about the harsh realities from which they come.

But there are a few that take reality to the silver screen in the most unapologetic form of art imitating life.

“Rock the Casbah” is one such film screened to about 160 people in Ben Gurion University’s cinema on December 16. This was the first screening inside Israel, and OneVoice Israel combined a lecture by a retired military officer with the film to bring to light the similarities and differences between life and violence in Israel during the first Intifada and today.

Yuval Bar, 30, an OVI youth leader and student at BGU, describes the film as “unique” because of its attempt to show the Israeli-Palestinian conflict not only through the eyes of Israeli soldiers, but through their interactions with those around them.

“The movie reveals one of the hardest things about the military,” Yuval said. “It exposes the daily routine that grinds you. It shows the soldiers just going through the motions, being oblivious and not thinking, and the hostility between members of the company because of the high-stress situation.”

According to Yuval, the fictional film “followed” a company during the beginning of the first Intifada. The soldiers capture a building, use the roof as a lookout, and interact with those around them, including Palestinians whose house they occupy.

But what is truly unique about this film in the greater scope of Israeli cinema, Yuval said, is while it was created by Israelis for Israelis, it expands the role of the Palestinian characters.

“What you see is that the Palestinians have names and lines; they are participants in the film,” he explained. “They aren’t just there to be there…the Palestinian characters react to the soldiers.  And in Israeli media this is a rare thing.”

“You can be sympathetic with all the groups in this movie,” Yuval continued. “The only characters you can’t associate with are the top-ranking officers. They are the enemies of both sides because they construct the situation.”

As a long-time peace advocate, Yuval thinks films like “Rock the Casbah” channels his energy in the right direction. Active since 1996 and a member of several peace organizations and political parties, Yuval found OVI after enrolling in BGU three years ago as a political science major. He has been involved in various social media campaigns, the newspaper headline contest, and the Two-State Solution Caucus in the Israeli Knesset while at OVI.

“I’ve been in the peace scene for a while, so I feel the conflict is a part of me,” Yuval said. “I see first-hand that Israeli society is less interested in the conflict when it should be the #1 issue on the agenda, and the film helps bring this to light.”

“Seeing the crowded cinema at my university and the positive reactions from the audience members on this thought-provoking film makes me reaffirm that I am doing the right thing – that I am on the side that fights for peace.”

Abbas’s Words of Courage, falling on deaf ears, or worse, being undermined by Israelis that unwittingly strengthen his rivals

A message from Daniel Lubetzky, co-founder and president, OneVoice Movement

So many in the Israeli and American Jewish community say that Palestinians take no steps to build trust or recognize that they are committed to live in peace with Israel.  But Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has for over a decade consistently been courageous about the need for reaching a two-state solution through non-violent means, to the point that other Palestinians often criticize him for his conciliatory tone and policies that have not been reciprocated by the present Israeli government. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and perhaps worst of all, Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon, keep marginalizing Abbas and giving him no room to operate. 

And yet the Israeli administration has continued to unwittingly (or some fear, intentionally, so as to discredit the existence of moderate Palestinian partners to negotiate with) strengthen Hamas’s credibility – most recently with the Gaza war that ended with Israeli concessions that Hamas is trumpeting as a victory over the Zionists.  Sadly, over the last couple of months the Israeli government has turned Hamas into an extremely popular party not just in Gaza, but even in the West Bank, and even among Christian parties.  Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank increasingly feel that the Hamas way of violent resistance is the only way Israelis will react and they credit Hamas with numerous (often imagined) victories, while seeing Abbas as increasingly ineffective and irrelevant because the Israeli government ignores his overtures.

It wasn’t like this just a few weeks ago! 

The present Israeli administration continues to try to weaken Palestinian moderates and destroy any legitimacy or credibility they may have left.  Last week, Ya’alon said, “What stands out from this event is the irrelevance of Abbas.  He's only relevant for declarations and for unilateral steps to seek recognition at the U.N.”  So what does Ya’alon want? For Abbas to use force so that he will listen?!  Didn’t we ask Palestinians to use diplomatic means? Which is it? Do we want the Palestinian leadership to use reason as Abbas does, or force as Hamas does?

It takes enormous courage for him to be direct about all these issues. Saying it on Israeli television takes even more courage.

"Palestine for me is the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as the capital, this is Palestine, I am a refugee, I live in Ramallah, the West Bank and Gaza is Palestine, everything else is Israel,” Abbas said in an interview on Israel's Channel 2.

And yet, Netanyahu’s response that same day was to announce more settlement building.

It is fascinatingly depressing to see how extremists help one another become more popular.  It is almost as if there is an unholy alliance between the Israeli and Palestinian absolutists, reinforcing each other’s visions, and destroying the moderate camps on both sides. How long will the voices of moderation stay silent and watch their lives be hijacked?

The Threat of the Unchanged Middle East

*By Darya Shaikh

On Monday night, millions of Americans sat down in front of their televisions and watched the two U.S. presidential candidates go head to head for the very last time before Election Day. President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney faced off on foreign policy issues ranging from Iran and Libya to Afghanistan and China.

They spoke at length about 'the changing Middle East' and the threat it poses to the world. Yet despite overtures about strong leadership and upholding principles of peace, both candidates seemed to forget that one of the biggest threats in the Middle East today actually stems from the lack of change, that being the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Aside from a fleeting reference to the conflict, which you may have missed, neither candidate laid out concrete steps that could help get the Israeli and Palestinian peace process back on track. Neither the President nor Governor Romney seem to think that delivering a comprehensive and just two-state solution to the conflict is a U.S. priority.

The current stalemate and toxic status quo endangers not only the futures of the Israeli and Palestinian people but should be a grave concern to all of us, as Americans. Ending the conflict is -- as successive presidents have consistently affirmed -- a vital American national interest. Middle East stability is jeopardized by the ongoing conflict, and this affects a broad swath of U.S. political priorities, placing national security and the recovering economy in danger.

The American leadership, whomever is at the helm, has to be accountable to the thousands of Israelis and Palestinians who are waging peace every day. As the conflict continues to be used as a political football, tossed around by both parties in order to gain votes, it consequently grows increasingly disconnected from the voices and interests of Israelis and Palestinians, who are calling for strong American leadership to push the parties to take the necessary steps that will enable a return to serious negotiations, ending the conflict once and for all and ensuring a better future for millions.

There is so much unknown about the changing landscape of the region. However, what we do know is that every day that goes by without a two-state solution makes it harder and harder to achieve. The American government has been the broker of negotiations for decades. As such, it retains a moral imperative to serve as an honest, unwavering mediator, despite the current diplomatic challenges, which deserve not be minimized.

Ending the occupation and achieving the two-state solution based on the 1967 lines, in accordance with international resolutions and previous bilateral agreements, is the only viable, mutually acceptable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It is the only solution that fulfills the national aspirations of both peoples by establishing an independent Palestinian state at peace with the State of Israel. This is a policy of vital interest to Israelis and Palestinians, as well as to Americans. Unfortunately, as negative facts continue to grow on the ground, we are witnessing the rapidly growing distance between the reality of the present, and the ideal of peace.

As American citizens, we have a responsibility too. We have a role to play in making sure that we close this divide. We need to tell whoever is elected that achieving the two-state solution must be a foreign policy priority. An excellent way to do this is by signing the petition that the OneVoice Movement's American network initiated. OneVoice is grassroots undertaking working in parallel in Israel and Palestine to build political and grassroots civic capacity to bring both parties back to the table and ensure a viable, effective negotiations process with clear terms of reference and a limited timeframe that will fulfill the national aspirations of both peoples. This petition crystalizes that work and asks Americans to get behind it.

OneVoice's Israeli activists recognize their role and mobilize in a different city each week, bringing residents and local politicians together to promote the two-state solution and countering the agenda of expanding settlements in the West Bank by calling for a settlement freeze. OneVoice's Palestinian activists embrace their role by leading community initiatives to transform frustration and hopelessness through non-violent activism. OneVoice Palestine pushes for national reconciliation and a two-state solution that ends the occupation, resolves all final status issues based on international resolutions, establishes an independent Palestinian state, and ends all claims.

Through this petition in the U.S., we can amplify the calls of OneVoice Israel for a settlement freeze and of OneVoice Palestine for a final status agreement that ends all claims, demanding that the American leadership -- whether Republican or Democrat -- commits itself to pushing this process forward.

We cannot substitute political rhetoric for effective policy towards conflict resolution in Israel and Palestine. We must seize back this conversation today so that President Obama and Governor Romney know that the majority of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans will not settle for anything less than real American leadership toward a just and lasting peace.

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

Learning from the Past: Former Gush Katif Settlers Talk Future Evacuation

OVI activists Tom Bar-Gal, left, and Liran Naet, center, discuss future evacuations with former Gush Katif settler, Avi Farhan.

On a beach near Kibbutz Neve Yam, not too far from Haifa, we sat together - OneVoice activists and a group of former residents of the Gush Katif settlements – at the home of the Farhan Family on October 17.

We went there with some trepidation, but we were mostly curious about the meeting. Before that evening, we barely knew anyone from the Gush Katif settlements, and the motivation to know them and converse with them was very high. As we arrived, the families welcomed us with warmth and kindness, but with a little fear, similar to what we felt. After waiting a few minutes with the rest of the locals, the meeting started.

As a Movement that promotes the two-state solution, we believe that the evacuation of settlements is an inherent part of the process. Because of that, we wanted to better understand the significance of the evacuation for these people, who refer to themselves as being “thrown out” of their houses. The stories of the families varied: there was nostalgia and longing for the lives they used to have, memories of good relationships they had with their Arab neighbors in the southern part of Gaza, and frustration and disappointment due to the lack of support from the government post-evacuation.

As we expected, we found a large variety of opinions and positions about the essential issues surrounding a possible solution among the former residents of Gush Katif. Some of them suggested living under a Palestinian government outside of the borders of Israel, while others strongly disagreed with retreating from any territory and did not believe that any agreement involving compromise is possible. But most of all, we found an eclectic group of people, whose largest concern was the fear of being hurt again by another evacuation.

Although there were obvious disagreements about the “right way” to go about this, it was noticeable that we all care for and are concerned about the future of the country and the well-being of each other. Eventually, we separated not as partners or as rivals, but as equals looking for a way to end the conflict and curious about meeting again and getting to know each other better.

I had three main conclusions from this meeting:

First, an evacuation, while necessary, is a hard and hurtful process, and any additional family that settles in the occupied territories is in danger of facing pain and sorrow. I do not believe that we can simply blame the families who settle there, we must hold the government accountable, as they ultimately are allowing it to happen. Because the future of the settlements is uncertain, we must – because of humanitarian reasons – stop all the construction in the occupied territories.

Second, Israel's unilateral disengagement from the Gaza Strip has brought years of insecurity, but above all, it damaged our trust and in the belief that the conflict will end. We should aim to have all future moves made through negotiation and only with the agreement and support of the Palestinian people.

Eventually, in any future evacuation, all efforts must be done to ease the process of evacuation and re-habitation. We must learn from past mistakes and understand the difficulties of the evacuated people, and support them in any way we can.

- Tom Bar-Gal, OVI regional officer of the north

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.

Adva Vilchinski talks about time on New England tour

Youth Leadership Program Director Adva Vilchinski during the New England tour in September.

New York, September 27, 2012 – The International Engagement Program (IEP) just concluded the first tour of this academic year. From Sept. 10-13, over 800 individuals throughout New England engaged with OneVoice youth activists, listening to their memorable experiences working on the ground and heeding the call for Americans to help them achieve a viable two-state solution.

Youth Leadership Program Director Adva Vilchinski of OneVoice Israel was one of these activists. We talked to Adva on her way back home about her time on tour.

OneVoice: From start to finish, how do you think this tour went?

Adva: It was great. People were very interested in what we had to say and the audience members were eager to act and sign the petition. We also had many different, diverse audiences, which was a great part of the tour…we talked with little children and older people, and that is very important for spreading OneVoice’s message.

OneVoice: Why is the International Engagement Program important to the mission of Israelis and Palestinians seeking a viable two-state solution? And why is it important to Americans?

Adva: IEP is another way to get the word out and a way that people worldwide can pressure their leaders because they, too, are important actors. It is important to Americans because if they can put enough pressure on their leaders, it will be on the president’s agenda and then he could compel our leaders into acting. And it is important for Americans to know about the region, to know that their money isn’t wasted.

OneVoice: What were the most commonly asked questions? Were there any that particularly challenged you? How do you approach questions like these?

Adva: Many asked why Israelis appear less concerned about the Palestinians than they are with Iran, while others wondered why our programs are parallels and not combined. I thought [the latter] was a very important question, and the answer is we are parallel to show that we are partners in this effort for a two-state solution [while working in our communities]. The hardest questions were from the children – for instance, some asked, “Why is there a conflict?” Those really made me think because children keep it simple. In the end, we’re not doing a blame game, we’re trying to solve it.

OneVoice: What experiences resonated with your audiences and why do you think this happened?

Adva: We shared much of our work with the participants and by far the ones that interested them the most were the creative campaigns. For instance, we partnered with the #J14 Movement and created an ice wall to show how settlement expansion and the freeze in negotiations affects Israel’s economy, and audiences really liked it. I believe they enjoyed such campaigns because of this creativity.

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.