OneVoice Movement

OneVoice Europe wraps up last speaking tour of 2013

Students at the Al-Hikma Islamic School pose with OneVoice Youth Leaders Abeer Al-Natsheh and Danielle Cumpton after their event.

By Sharon Alsoodani*

The November 2013 UK Speaking Tour has come to a close, and after five days, two community events, 12 school sessions, four donor meetings, one university event, and 582 people reached, I’d like to reflect on the eventful week.

From November 25-29, Abeer Al-Natsheh, a OneVoice Palestine youth leader from Jerusalem, and Danielle Cumpton of OneVoice Israel and currently studying at Tel Aviv University, spoke to diverse audiences, visiting Al-Hikma Islamic School in Luton, the Jewish Society of City Boys’ School and South Hampstead Girls School, as well as a Quaker event in central London.

The Youth Leaders also helped form part of the panel for a discussion on the role of women in conflict resolution at an event hosted by Women in War and International Politics at King’s College London. I’ve had great experience speaking at many of these schools before, so the students had a fair amount of background knowledge which stimulated debate and led to vibrant discussions.

Although some questions asked by audience members were challenging, Danielle and Abeer handled each session with grace and patience and left the participants excited about the work of OneVoice. One student commented afterward that, “I see [this conflict] on the news every day, but I don’t know which side or narrative to trust. This is really helpful, to hear from people who are actually from there. How do I get involved?” For others, the highlight was just the personal connection with someone from Palestine or Israel. Girls at the Al-Hikma School were delighted to hear Hebrew spoken aloud, and many participants have signed up on OneVoice Europe’s online discussion forum to continue direct contact with the Youth Leaders.

Abeer and Danielle returned to their work in Israel and Palestine more motivated, having communicated to participants at different sessions the urgency of the current negotiations and the need to act now.

OVE is grateful to Lara Atkin for generously supporting this tour; Greg Rack and Cornelia Meyer for hosting meetings; and last but not least, our Youth Leaders Abeer and Danielle.

*Sharon Alsoodani is OVE’s Education Director and General Manager.

Danielle and Abeer at the discussion on the role of women in conflict resolution at Women in War and International Politics at King’s College London.

Students at the Jewish Society of City Boys’ School listen closely to Danielle and Abeer speak of their experiences living the conflict.

Join Sir Paul McCartney: Double your Donation to OneVoice on December 5th

Sir Paul McCartney joins OneVoice Israel staff and activists in Tel Aviv.

For the first time in over three years, Israel and the Palestinians are negotiating. But these talks are fragile, and now is the time for OneVoice to deploy all of its resources in making sure that the voice of the people is heard, and that this opportunity is not squandered.

In the coming weeks, our offices in Ramallah, Tel Aviv, and Gaza City will launch ambitious, parallel campaigns to support bold leadership, mobilising the majority of citizens who support two-states and an end to conflict. But they need your help. 

This December, online donations to OneVoice Europe will be doubled. That means that every gift you make will train twice as many young people, hold twice as many pioneering events like our Knesset and Muqata visits, and mobilise twice as many activists to take to the streets and demand brave action from their leaders.  We are honoured to have the support of OneVoice International Board of Advisors Member Sir Paul McCartney in this effort.

Upon meeting OneVoice activists in the region, Sir Paul commented to reporters that "they told me that the vast majority of people in both societies are moderates and simply want a better life for their families and themselves. This gave me great hope that, one day, people like them will help to bring about a peaceful resolution to the troubles in the area." 

Sir Paul McCartney is promoting OneVoice's Big Give campaign, sending messages to his millions of Twitter and Facebook followers asking them to give what they can in support of our efforts. Writing on his blog last week, Sir Paul said:

“I support OneVoice because Israelis and Palestinians deserve peace, and the young people who are part of OneVoice need our help in making that happen. From December 5^th, online donations to OneVoice are being doubled. Please click here, make a pledge, and show your support for the moderate majority who want to put conflict behind them.”

This December, please join Sir Paul, and the hundreds of thousands of people who have signed OneVoice's mandate, and demanded an end to conflict. Please donate what you can on December 5th, or click here to make a pledge. Together, we can help make history in 2014. 

OneVoice unites friends of Israel and friends of Palestine to back two states now

The OneVoice team with Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party.

As Ed Miliband, the UK’s Leader of the Opposition, joined 10,000 other delegates in Brighton for this year’s Labour Party conference, Israel-Palestine was high on the agenda. No less than 7 fringe events focussed on the conflict, with varying points of view ranging from BICOM’s Israel advocacy to the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC). Alongside them, a team of volunteers and staff from OneVoice Europe (OVE) were there to make the case for ending the occupation and the conflict now, through a two-state solution.

It’s perhaps no surprise that the Middle East is a hot topic right now, following July’s much-heralded launch of new negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. These talks are critical. In the last few months, US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Robert Serry, and UK Foreign Secretary William Hague have each stated that the window of feasibility for a two-state solution in Israel and Palestine has only 18 – 24 months left. 

Poll after poll has demonstrated that two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, based on the pre-1967 borders, is the only acceptable solution to the majority of Palestinians and Israelis. However, while support for two states remains high, time is running out for the two-state solution, a thought echoed by Ben Bradshaw MP at the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East (LFPME) event, who wanted to send out a clear message that “Western governments, and the Labour Party, are growing impatient.”

The urgency of securing a two-state solution in order the end the occupation and the conflict was the theme of each of OneVoice’s three innovative campaigns at the conference, engaging hundreds of delegates. Delegates recorded video clips for the #2StatesNow campaign, which calls on British citizens to raise their voice in support of a two-state solution. MPs were lobbied for the second campaign, to sign a parliamentary motion that challenges the negotiators, in order to ensure the talks are serious and successful. Lastly, hundreds of delegates were delighted to be offered a date (a Palestinian Medjool date), as part of a campaign to promote Palestinian produce. As Anthony Silkoff, OVE’s Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator explained, “statebuilding cannot wait until the negotiations are complete; we can help build Palestine now.”

These campaigns, and those of OneVoice Palestine and OneVoice Israel, found a huge level of support from across the conference. From the stage at the PSC debate, Andy Slaughter MP (Vice-Chair, LFPME) implored the audience to back OneVoice. At both of Labour Friends of Israel’s conference events, Israeli MK Hilik Bar was proud to name OneVoice as “the most important partner” of his Knesset caucus to end the conflict. At LFPME’s packed reception, Shadow Middle East Minister Ian Lucas led the whole room in a round of applause for OneVoice’s grassroots campaigns.

As so many delegates told the OneVoice team at our stall, it is only right that these organisations are showing unity in their support for a two state solution. The negotiators should see this as a challenge from both friends of Israel and friends of Palestine. These negotiations must not just be a talking shop, as many fear.  This is the time for action; no more excuses.

RAISE YOUR VOICE: UK CITIZENS CAN CLICK HERE AND ASK THEIR MP TO SIGN OUR EARLY DAY MOTION.

(L-R) OneVoice Volunteers Mojgan, Adam, and Hannah give out Palestinian dates.

British House of Commons ‘applauds’ OneVoice

Members of the House of Commons. (Parliamentary copyright images are reproduced with the permission of Parliament).

By Anthony Silkoff*

OneVoice’s impact continues to be felt in Europe, this time at the UK House of Commons. Sir Menzies Campbell – "one of the most respected politicians of his generation" – has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in support of OneVoice and the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.

If you live in the UK,you can email your local MP and ask him/her to sign.

To find your MP’s email address, type in your postcode here: http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/contact-your-mp/.

Here’s an email you can copy and paste, or you can adapt it for your own MP:

 

Dear ______,

As one of your constituents, I’m writing to ask if you would sign EDM 498, tabled by Sir Menzies Campbell, in support of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations: http://www.parliament.uk/edm/2013-14/498

These negotiations are critical, and there exists no clear alternative to the two-state solution, which would end the conflict and the occupation. Poll after poll has demonstrated that two sovereign states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, is the only acceptable solution to the majority of Palestinians and Israelis.

As well as backing negotiations, the EDM also gives backing to OneVoice, a grassroots movement which is pioneering initiatives to demand a two-state solution.

Palestinian President Abbas visited Westminster recently, and it is clear the UK has a crucial role in supporting the peace process.  A powerful message would emanate if the House of Commons – across all parties – united in one voice, alongside the efforts of grassroots activists and Secretary Kerry, to back the peace process and realise a two state solution.  

As well as signing EDM 498, please consider writing to Foreign Secretary William Hague to highlight this issue, and raising this EDM in parliamentary questions in October.

Yours sincerely,

__________

 

*Anthony Silkoff is OneVoice Europe's Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator.

OVE’s Residential Programme participants talk conflict and negotiations

 

By Sharon Alsoodani*

Every summer, OneVoice Europe brings British students together for a frank and open discussion about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This year’s programme was particularly engaging because the peace process is back in action after several years without direct talks.

From August 19-22, 19 students with an array of views, experiences, and backgrounds assembled at the Tavistock Hotel in London. For many, it was their first time engaging with such a diverse group on this issue and in this setting, which mirrors our Israeli-Palestinian youth leadership programme in the Middle East.

The aims of this programme are to increase participants’ knowledge of the history and complexities that have led to the current situation in Israel-Palestine, to equip potential young leaders to advocate a win-win approach, and to encourage pragmatic action toward solutions for the current impasse, rather than taking a side.

A number of workshops were also held to teach certain skills and techniques such as non-violent communication training, conflict resolution training, and debating.

Distinguished guests including Daniel Levy from the European Council of Foreign Relations, Human Rights Campaigner Peter Tatchell, and the Oxford Research Group’s Tony Klug took time out of their busy schedules to engage with the students and provoke serious discussions on political history, economics and the conflict, and non-violent campaigning. Three leaders of the Abrahamic faiths were also invited to speak about the religious elements of the conflict.

But the highlight of the event was a talk from the Portland Trust’s Sebastian Welisiejko, who gave insight into the potential for economic development to bring real progress in the peace process, especially in light of the renewed negotiations. The students were excited when they heard about the potential motivation for peace that could be gained from a move toward prosperity in Palestine. One student, who had previously engaged in activism supportive of the Israeli side, commented that one action she might consider taking after the course would be to buy and support the promotion of Palestinian products.

It was also very clear that the young people bonded extremely well as a group, and several expressed how valuable it had been for them to meet people from different backgrounds, particularly for the non-Jewish students to have become friends with Jewish people for the first time.

When asked about how the course had affected their views on the conflict, one student said: “It reinforced my belief in the need for a two-state solution and that you can be pro-Israel, pro-Palestine, and pro-peace,” while another expressed gratitude for the chance to participate: “I have had such an engaging and enriching experience and I can’t begin to thank you enough for having given me the opportunity.”

With the potential to take influential positions within their universities (including SOAS, Nottingham, Manchester, City, and Queen Mary), many of this group embraced the pragmatic, win-win approach that OneVoice is advocating, and left the programme with the motivation, inspiration, and ability to mobilise and convince others. Several also indicated that they want to pursue a career that will maximise their opportunity to have an influence at the political and/or civil society level both in the UK and in Israel-Palestine.

The most striking and repeated comment in the students’ feedback was that they had realised the conflict is far more complex than they had previously thought. Many stated that they had been anti-Israel before and now had some understanding of the Israeli view. Another said that he had not realised the extent of the Palestinians’ sense of injustice until now. Such a transformation of attitudes toward the people caught up in this conflict will inform our activism here in the UK, uniting us to campaign for an end to the occupation and for both national movements to renounce violence in order to live together in peace and security.

Note: As a follow up, OneVoice Europe will be offering these individuals and any future participants of such programmes the opportunity to join the OVE Student Network. Those who sign up will receive weekly political updates, further training, reunion activities, and will be specifically coached in OneVoice messaging and advocacy. We will be looking to harness these activists for university outreach in 2013-2014 and provide them with oversight and support to set up their own events within their universities or communities, promoting constructive action toward ending the conflict in Israel-Palestine.

They will also be called upon to represent OV at speaking/panel events, networking events (e.g. community/trade union/political meetings etc.), and to assist with the organising and execution of IEP tours. This will commence with the Labour Party conference in September, at which three of the participants have already volunteered to join the OVE team. The group also expressed the desire to organise their own trip to Israel-Palestine together which OVE can help to facilitate.

* Sharon Alsoodani is OVE’s Education Director and General Manager

The Portland Trust’s Sebastian Welisiejko speaking to the students about economic development.

The students upon completion of the Summer Residential Programme.

Despite appearances, two-state solution makes headway in Israeli and British parliaments

Youth Leaders Ofek Arieli, left, and Maya Peretz, Jerusalem Regional Coordinator, collect Facebook "Wall" posts in Zion Square after the Caucus launch on May 20.

By Anthony Silkoff*

Back in February, I was in the lofty gallery of the House of Lords as members heaped praise on the activists of OneVoice Palestine and OneVoice Israel, who work tirelessly to revive a two-state solution. Three months later, I traveled to a very different parliament – the Israeli Knesset – to see OneVoice Israel doing just that. 

The Knesset is now in its 19^th session, and like most national parliaments, it has caucuses – or lobbies – made up of its members. Until OneVoice established a two-state solution caucus in the 18^th Knesset, there had never been one, and the largest caucus was advocating for "Greater Israel," pushing for the annexation of the West Bank. On May 20, OneVoice’s Caucus for Ending the Israeli-Arab Conflict launched, and this time it is the biggest caucus in the Knesset, demonstrating the growth of OneVoice’s parliamentary outreach and an increased support for two states in the Knesset.

The differences between the brash, modern Knesset, and the genteel, antique House of Lords couldn’t be starker, even from the outside. From certain angles, the concrete-pillared Knesset looks positively Soviet, while the neo-gothic spires of the Lords give it the whiff of a bygone era. 

On the inside, Knesset members have no time for the formal etiquette demonstrated by the House of Lords. Indeed, the heckling, name-calling, and general fracas of the Knesset got so bad a few years ago that incoming MKs were subject to a five-hour course on how to behave in the chamber.

So, as I joined 500 onlookers in a packed Knesset auditorium, there was plenty of cheering, booing, applause, and heckling at various points as MKs lined up one after the other to forcefully criticize their government’s response – or rather, lack of one – to the Arab Peace Initiative (API).  

Former police investigator Moshe Mizrahi, now a Labor MK, got the crowd cheering with his visionary statement that the API could, if seized, benefit the children of Israelis, and their children’s children. Zahava Galon (MK for Meretz) struck a chord too, as she told the audience that PM Benjamin Netanyahu was foolish for ignoring the API.

It wasn’t only MKs from the traditional ‘left’ who made this case. One of the most striking speeches of the day came from Yitzhak Cohen, of the ultra-orthodox Shas party. Cohen told those assembled that the API was good for Israel, and invoked an ancient Greek legend to compel Netanyahu to “turn every rock” to achieve peace.

However, booing followed the contribution of Ze’ev Elkin, who is not a member of OneVoice’s caucus, but the Deputy Foreign Minister. Elkin, of the Likud party, gave the government’s position and a list of excuses for why the API should be ignored, for example the “mentality of the Arabs.” The more he spoke, the more excuses poured out, the more he was heckled.

While booing and heckling don’t sound very polite, I believe they are – in Israel, at least – the sound of progress. Here in the UK, there is often talk of disconnect between voters (or non-voters) and the politicians who are supposed to represent them. In Israel, where there is no constituency system, this disconnect is even more obvious; there are few, if any, chances for citizens to hold their representatives to account. OneVoice Israel is bridging this gap with events like this, where the voters are able to question – and heckle, when necessary – their representatives. 

Back in Europe, the role of supporters of OneVoice should be to capitalize on this momentum. Finally, the two-state-willing majority of Israelis is represented in a strong Knesset lobby and the task now is to translate this will into real political action to end the conflict and end the occupation of Palestinian lands.

By uniting members of the Knesset with the Israeli grassroots, uniting Palestinian Authority members with the Palestinian grassroots – and uniting both with members of parliaments and publics across Europe – the call for two states will be even more powerful.

*Anthony Silkoff is OneVoice Europe’s Advocacy and Outreach Coordinator.

Facing the Elephant: Tough but worth it

From left to right: Rabbi Natan Levy, Imam Usama Hasan, OVE’s Education Director and General Manager Sharon Alsoodani, OVE summer programme attendee Ayesha Carmouche, and Canon Robert Reiss discuss UK interfaith relations and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on May 28. Joseph Benedyk also joined the panel via Skype. This is part of a greater conversation that is needed in British communities, according to Alsoodani.

By Sharon Alsoodani*

On May 28, almost one week after the appalling killing of a British soldier in the streets of Woolwich, citizens of London gathered to face an issue that the killer described openly as being part of the motivation for his act of terror.

For the past four years, I have been working with OneVoice to run a programme that deals specifically with the fall-out of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict within UK communities, schools, and universities. I work with organisations such as the Three Faiths Forum and the National Union of Students, who find that interfaith projects intended to help promote good relations are thwarted by an elephant in the room - namely conflict in the Middle East, including Israel-Palestine.

One way to deal with this is to try to ignore or avoid the elephant by agreeing from the outset that interfaith discussions will proceed as if it doesn’t exist. It seems to be a desperate attempt to have dialogue at least at some level because no one really knows how to face it. However, when violence escalates back in the region, any fragile foundation that has been achieved for interfaith relations is quickly smashed again and the respective communities fall back onto their polarised and, in some cases, extreme narratives.

I have worked in schools with a largely Muslim population where a conspiracy theory is rife among the pupils that the Freemasons and various other groups such as the Illuminate are in league with Israel and ‘the Zionists’ in a bid to achieve global domination.

From students with Jewish backgrounds, I have sometimes heard arguments that there is no such thing as the Palestinian people or that on various grounds, Palestinians have forfeited their right to a state of their own.

And through my work with some Christian groups, I have come across some highly partisan positions based on liberation theology on the one hand, or beliefs about the ‘end times’ on the other.

Of course, such ideas are not only to be found among religious communities in the UK, but also exist in the secular, political sphere. I have witnessed Israel-Palestine being turned into a microcosm of our classic left vs. right dichotomies. Each side’s ‘cause’ has been symbolically adopted by certain political groups such as the English Defence League who carry Israeli flags at their rallies, and anti-capitalist protestors who wear Palestinian kafeeyehs during their demonstrations.

Those who promote radical narratives are only able to do so because we, the moderate majority of British people, allow them to get a foothold. We need to be meeting together deliberately to face and talk about this elephant and to do so with as much effort, energy and regularity as the extremists. This is what we did on May 28.

Whatever our differing points of view on Israel-Palestine, the vast majority of our civil society are actually able to unite around two pragmatic principles out of a genuine concern for the people of the Middle East:

1. Any solution must meet the core needs and national aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.
2. The only feasible solution is one acceptable to a majority of the populations on both sides.

The 40 attendees at the event came from a variety of religious backgrounds and heard about the successes of OneVoice Europe’s Outreach and Education Programme to date. They then engaged in their own dialogue session with a panel that included Rabbi Natan Levy, Imam Usama Hasan, Canon Robert Reiss, and two student participants of OneVoice’s youth leadership summer programme in the UK.

One participant wrote after the event: “I was very moved - very moved - by last night and those who took part. For me there was a profound honesty, a refreshing and very powerful simplicity and modesty in talking to us through their choice of thoughts and ideas. Real courage.”

This event is a model that we will continue to apply in UK communities, and I would like to encourage all groups involved in interfaith dialogue to take courage and face the elephant. For facilitation and support in holding such an event, please contact me: [email protected]

*Sharon Alsoodani is the Education Director and General Manager for OneVoice Europe.

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

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: [email protected].

OneVoice gathers EU support in Brussels and Ramallah

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.

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

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.