OneVoice Movement

Maryland teenager’s Israeli army service leads him to OneVoice Israel

Gabi Avner encourages the public in OneVoice Israel’s July “Help Bibi” campaign to write suggestions for the Netanyahu administration on what a viable Israeli peace framework should look like.

New York, October 3, 2011—Reporting to the crowded Reichan-Barta'a checkpoint for his call to duty, Gabi Avner scrutinizes the congested flow of spices, ripened produce, and goods that sharply contrasts from the quaint suburbs of his distant hometown in Maryland.

Gabi, 26, who was raised a short distance from the affluence and power of Capitol Hill, grew up with what he describes as “never anything missing.” However, in his life as a high school student wrestling and playing football, the desire to see the place of his heritage grew stronger.

“What drew me to Israel is that I see it as an unfinished project. It’s such a young country, a young endeavor, a work in progress,” said Gabi.

After taking a semester to study abroad in Israel, Gabi never could have anticipated he would live in Israel long term. With such encounters as making plans to visit Café Caffit in Jerusalem the same night a suicide bomber planned an attack, Gabi unexpectedly found American life to be more trying.

“When I found myself back in the US, I missed the feeling of not living amongst my people,” Gabi said. “Identity was never much of an issue in the US, but when you are in a place where day-to-day your identity is an issue, it changes your perspective.

Taking this transformed perspective to Israel, Gabi desired to be what he calls a “full-fledged member of society” and made the life changing commitment of entering into the Israeli army.

For Gabi’s parents this voluntary service did not come as a shock. “I understood that he wanted to be involved and not just somebody on the sidelines. This was the way to do that,” said Phil Avner, Gabi’s father.

During his two and a half years in the army with such responsibilities as patrolling the Lebanon border, conducting night raids and monitoring checkpoints, Gabi began to encounter a Palestinian narrative that led to his current involvement in OneVoice Israel (OVI).

“My time in the army made me realize that we will not come out of this situation through any type of military victory,” said Gabi. “I was proud to serve my country, but I knew at the same time that this was not a situation that I would want for another generation or two.”

Following his service, Gabi partnered with OVI’s campaign for a two-state solution and promoted a more feasible Israeli-Palestinian coexistence to peers from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya and later the Ben-Gurion University, where he recently completed his master’s degree in the politics of conflict.

“I like that I can work toward my goal of attaining a two-state solution as a proud Israeli Zionist in an organization that recognizes the importance of my identity as an integral part of making peace and not as a barrier to it,” Gabi said.

Gabi will join his Palestinian counterpart, Anas Ashqar, in leading an International Education Program tour of New York City from October 10-20.

Repairing American’s misconceptions about the conflict

By Shaina Low*

Photo Credit: Mustafa Staiti

Halfway through my first week at OneVoice, I told a friend of mine about my new position in the movement. As I explained to him OneVoice’s mission, he asked, “Wait a minute. Who’s occupying who? Are the Israelis occupying the Palestinians, or are the Palestinians occupying the Israelis?” Anthony’s lack of information, I know, is not uncommon among Americans. In talking to him further, I learned he was fearful of trying to find out more about the conflict because it is such an emotional and divisive topic.

While briefly explaining to Anthony the barebones of the 1967 War and the roots of the occupation, I experienced a moment of euphoria when I knew I had chosen the right career path in OneVoice’s International Education Program.

I’ve been passionate about informing others, particularly Americans, about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2008. As an undergraduate student at Columbia University, I participated in a delegation with the Faculty for Israeli-Palestinian Peace (FFIPP) and forty other American and European university students.

FFIPP’s two-month program included an intensive weeklong orientation with visits to Holocaust museums, destroyed Palestinian villages, Kibbutzim, and refugee camps and countless meetings with NGOs and activists. Following this crash course on the conflict, I had the opportunity to intern for four weeks at The Freedom Theatre in Jenin Refugee Camp, and another four weeks at Beit Hagefen Arab-Jewish Center in Haifa.

My experience that summer was life-changing, and many of my preconceived notions about the conflict were shattered. I had traveled to Israel twice in the previous year, but this was my first experience in Palestine, and I was worried of how being Jewish would affect Palestinians’ perceptions of me.

My first day of work at The Freedom Theatre, Mustafa, one of the employees sat down to introduce himself. Within minutes, he cupped his hand around his mouth, as if sharing a dark secret, and whispered to my three fellow interns and me, “Jonatan is Jewish,” (referring to the theatre’s co-founder and manager.) Unsure of how to respond, after hesitating a few seconds, I whispered back, “Me too!” For only a second, an expression of pure surprise crossed Mustafa’s face, before turning to sheepish embarrassment. Instantly, the five of us all burst out laughing. From that moment on, I was open about my religion, and it was never an issue.

American media, particularly in a post-9/11 world, tends to compartmentalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into an East versus West paradigm, presenting it as a religious war, driven by unrelenting jihadists battling with “Judeo-Christian values” and conspiring to “throw the Jews into the sea.” In truth, I learned, the conflict is political—two parties arguing over the same strip of land.

Realizing that misinformation and a lack of knowledge were the greatest impediments to widespread US support for resolution, when I returned to Columbia that fall, I made it my priority to reach out and share my newfound knowledge with my peers. By drawing on my personal experience living in both Israel and the West Bank, when challenged I was able to speak authoritatively and confidently about the realities on the ground.

Upon graduating with a degree in political science in May 2010, I returned to Jenin to serve as The Freedom Theatre’s resource development coordinator. Frequent travel in the region resulted in a network of friends that spanned national, religious, and political spectrums—expanding my overall understanding of the conflict.

With the ability to move (relatively) freely between Israel and Palestine, I was consciously aware of my position as an American outsider, and frequently solicited the opinions of Israeli and Palestinian friends, acquaintances, and strangers about what—if any—role America should have in solving the conflict. The responses were varied; some felt that the US exercises too much influence in the region, while others felt that the Obama administration needs to be more forceful in demanding a return to negotiations. Although opinions differed on the amount of authority the US should have in resolving the conflict, almost everyone I spoke to felt that America does have a role. 

When I returned from Jenin, nearly six months ago, I searched for a job that would not only build on my experiences in Israel and Palestine, but also allow me to reach out to American communities and inform them about the conflict. What drew me to OneVoice, specifically IEP, is the opportunity to connect average American citizens and university students with Israeli and Palestinian youth in order to hear their stories firsthand.

I know that Anthony’s question is only the first of many concerning the conflict that I’ll be fielding in my role as IEP associate, and I’m looking forward to sharing with Americans across the religious, ethnic, and political spectrum what I learned about Israel and Palestine and OneVoice’s work in the region.

*Shaina Low is the International Education Program associate. She joined the OneVoice team in mid-August and will be organizing the speaking tour with youth leaders Eyal Shapira and Obada Shtaya in Washington, DC from Sept. 16-23.  

‘The road not taken’ just a start for Obada Shtaya

New York, August 30, 2011—The bustling city of Nablus is stuck between two mountains, and for Obada Shtaya, the claustrophobia of living in the occupied Palestinian territories makes a change in the scenery a welcomed opportunity.

This is an especially hard task when Israeli checkpoints dot the West Bank and travel permits are hard to come by. But Obada, 20, has made the most of his young life even though the political situation has not been so kind.

Politics always appealed to Obada, and his family is acutely aware of its consequences within the conflict. Obada’s father was exiled to Lebanon in 1991 because of his political activism, which also prevented him from international travel for 20 years. His mother is also vocal in her political beliefs, he said, because in Palestine, politics is all around you, and there is no escaping it.

“My family realizes that the atmosphere of politics changes over time,” Obada said. “They accept that and support me in my endeavors, letting me do what I have to do and think is right.”

This is especially true for Obada in a post-second intifada Palestine, where he deems armed resistance to Israel undesirable. Even though his parents were brought up believing in the entirety of historical Palestine as part of a future state, he said there is room for an open mind given the current political and social situations within Palestinian society.

For these reasons, Obada joined OneVoice Palestine (OVP) in 2009 after attending one of their workshops with friend and OVP Youth Council Delegate, Mohammad Asideh. OneVoice provided the type of political know-how and aptitude for mobilization that Obada sought out.

“Obada has a way of discussing issues… he’s very diplomatic and likes to think outside the box,” Asideh said. “We come from the same village and I know his family well, so introducing OneVoice to Obada was something I wanted to do because he wants to hear all sides, but is not afraid to speak his mind.”

Obada’s propensity for politics occasionally makes way for two of his favorite pastimes, literature and karate, but is never fully absent.

With his father’s travel ban lifted in 2004, Obada had the opportunity to go to England with his father and his teammates for a karate championship. Obada took in the sights and sounds of the country, reveling in a new-found freedom.

The experience in England also sparked an interest in English literature and language. At the championship match, Obada didn’t speak the language well, but the experience definitely spoke to him, helping him decide his college major at An-Najah National University.

Hitting the books also allowed Obada to travel again, this time on an academic scholarship to Bilkent University in Turkey, where he studied drama, Shakespeare, and public speaking for an academic year.  

There are times when life in the West Bank cannot be blocked out or left behind, literally or figuratively, he explained. The reality on the ground can be harsh at times, but Obada has learned to savor the moments that mean most to him, and he will work to bring his experiences home to his compatriots.

“Traveling to championships outside Palestine was always a relief for my teammates and I because it is almost the only way to leave Palestine,” he said.  “All the way through the championship, the team would repeat, ‘we are going to be free for one week in a place where there are no barriers and no settlements to be seen,’ and we were filled with joy.”

Obada will join his Israeli counterpart, Eyal Shapira, in leading an International Education Program tour of Washington, D.C.  from September 16-23.

OneVoice Israel activist unleashes outreach efforts

New York, August 30, 2011—On the streets of Jerusalem, Eyal Shapira is looking for a confrontation.  His eyes zone in on his target and with precision, he moves in. Armed with tactical knowledge from past military training, Eyal, a self-proclaimed Israeli patriot, is prepared to struggle for what he believes in.

Unbeknownst to his prey, the former Israeli soldier’s battle is actually a war of words between the “silent majority” of Israelis supporting a two-state solution and the opposed, often conservative, segment of the populous that refuses to yield. The prospect of a heated debate is especially high in Jerusalem, due to its religious and political significance that places it at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Israel regards all of Jerusalem as its capital despite the Palestinian desire for East Jerusalem, annexed by Israel after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, to be the capital of their future state.

“Of course I talk about Jerusalem as one of the painful compromises that will have to be made, because it’s true,” said Eyal, when asked how he sees Jerusalem’s final status in an agreement. “I try to show Israelis that their interests lie in separating Jerusalem to ensure its demographics and security.”

Joining OneVoice Israel (OVI) just over a year ago, Eyal has already stepped up to a leadership role in the Jerusalem chapter. When the conflict flares up in the news, creating tension, Eyal will take to the streets or organize an event to set the facts straight and discredit the violent extremists on both sides.

“Just this Sunday, he sent all of us in the Jerusalem chapter an e-mail telling us to join him in the streets to talk to people,” said Chen Reingold, one of Eyal’s recruits who found herself attracted to his excitement, which she calls infectious, when he approached her on campus last year. “It’s not easy at all, but he is good at it.”

Understandably, the task of reaching out to a large cross-section of the Israeli public is frustrating. Eyal does it because he wants, “a better society, a better future… I need to try to make as much of a change as I can now.”

Believing that politicians are affected by the voice of the public, Eyal persistently attempts to convince people on the street that a peace agreement is of the utmost importance. He urges them to see that painful concessions must be made to obtain a secure, peaceful future.

“People who do not see eye-to-eye with me are the most important ones to talk to—they are my target audience,” said Eyal. “We show them the whole picture and the benefits of compromise.”

Eyal brought an Israeli specialist, Shaul Arieli, to the Hebrew University in Jerusalem to lecture on the conflict and discuss pragmatic solutions for final status issues, including Jerusalem. He also organized a debate between Professor Robbie Sabel, an Israeli expert on International Law, and Dr. Sufian Abu Zaida, a former Palestinian Authority minister, about the United Nations vote on Palestinian statehood, scheduled for September.

“It was a very moving event for me,” said Eyal. “Sufian Abu Zaida represented for us the Palestinians who are willing to talk to us and to compromise. Although there was tension in the air, I felt that the audience left the event much more optimistic than how they came.”

Eyal will bring his power of persuasion to Washington, D.C. in three weeks time. Together with OneVoice Palestine activist, Obada Shtaya, Eyal will engage everyone from students, to dignitaries, to politicians, discussing the situation on the ground and encouraging them to raise their own voices in support of a two-state solution.

“It is only natural for Eyal, one of OVI’s most prominent activists, to represent OVI to American audiences,” said Danny Shaket, OVI’s Youth Leadership program coordinator, who himself represented OVI on the International Education Program’s Washington tour last year. “Eyal has educated hundreds of students on key issues, often recruiting them to be a part of the movement.”

Eyal will join his Palestinian counterpart, Obada Shtaya, in leading an International Education Program tour of Washington, D.C. from September 16-23.

Women's Vital Role in the Palestine-Israel Conflict

By Jennifer Prystupa*

Abeer Natsheh and Malaka Samara believe that women can play a vital role in promoting a peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

It is often said that behind every great man, there is a great woman. Perhaps behind every great movement, there are many determined women seeking to change the situation for the betterment of all.

Senior youth leaders Roza Helou, Abeer Natsheh, and Malaka Samara are three such women from OneVoice Palestine (OVP), a branch of the OneVoice Movement.  OneVoice is an international grassroots movement founded in 2002 with parallel branches in Israel and Palestine advocating two states for two peoples. Over 4,000 Israeli and Palestinian youth, ages 18-34, have been engaged by OneVoice, and about 60% of OVP’s volunteers are women.

Helou, Natsheh, and Samara were gracious enough to sit down and talk about the role of women in the movement’s quest to seek a peaceful political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

OneVoice: What can Palestinian women provide to help solve the conflict?

Abeer: The history of the Palestinian people was in agriculture, and the role of women used to be in the field. Now it is in the city. We see a link between an improved economic situation and increased women’s involvement in several segments of society, including ministry, security, and education.

Women also have the ability to say less but give more of an impression. If you look to any kind of society, a man has to be very powerful to get people to listen. But when a woman starts to talk, her existence on a platform gives people the impression that she has something important to say.

Malaka: Women have two advantages working with the movement. First, we have the ability to go to conservative communities and speak to the women there, as opposed to men. Some religious men do not accept strange men in their wives’ presence.  The movement understands that it is important for all women to be part of political life, and so it is easier for us to spread the message to them. Secondly, there can be problems for our men to attend movement events or tours because of checkpoints or visa issues. That is where the women have to step up and represent OVP. 

Roza:  A woman is a mother in the beginning and is the first educator of the next generation. As Abeer said, the role of women changed dramatically, and women can now stand side-by-side, equal with men, to end the conflict.

OneVoice: Let’s talk about your experiences as a women involved in OVP in the search for a two-state solution. What kind of challenges have you faced?

Abeer: When I put the idea on the table to my family, it was very hard for a very political family to understand that their daughter is coming from a different track. I also told them, I won’t get married until I get a state with 1967 borders. They expected me to get married and have children right after my sister did eight years ago.  I’m sticking to what I believe and I cannot bring a child into such a conflict.

OneVoice: Does anyone else have family conflicts when it comes to your views?

Roza: Abeer and I come from the same background. I have the same problem, but my parents never try to steer me toward their ideas. They give me the freedom to choose my path. I have friends that are politically conservative, but I believe, realistically, that the only solution that is valid is the two-state solution.

It’s difficult to convince people that you want a state on the 1967 borders next to Israel while settlements and the wall continue to be built. There are many Palestinians giving up because of those actions. If we keep going on without a solution, there will not be a state to call Palestine. For me, I don’t want to wait another 20 years for it to happen.

Malaka:  All our work with OVP is a challenge since we are working on a two-state solution. At times, it makes other Palestinians think that we are taking away their dreams and they get upset and confront us. This is especially prevalent in refugee camps when we mention our vision.

I come from Tulkarem, and I think I am the only woman in the town involved with the organization. My mother and other people ask me why I do such things, why I get so engrossed in OVP.  I understand my mother’s concerns for me, her concern for how other people in my hometown think about me.  But I constantly think about how I can convince the people in my small town that the two-state solution is the only solution.  I feel that it is my message and my role as a strong woman to tell them.

*Jennifer Prystupa is the communications intern at OneVoice. Her article was originally published on PolicyMic:  http://www.policymic.com/articles/women-s-vital-role-in-the-palestine-israel-conflict

OneVoice mourns the loss of Eran Schafferman

New York, July 11, 2011—OneVoice is mourning the loss Eran Schafferman, former OneVoice Israel (OVI) Youth Leadership Program director, who died early Monday morning in Ramat Gan, after a four month battle with cancer.

In 2004, Eran, 35, became a youth leader with OneVoice Israel because he believed in the movement’s unique approach that defined the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be between moderates and extremists and not between nations pitted against each other.

“OneVoice challenges the apathetic -- those who are tired of the conflict, but have shut themselves off from any part of the process -- by showing them they still have a partner for peace on the other side,” said Eran, in 2005. “Meaningful participation through OneVoice is the only healthy future for Israel.”

Eran served as an advisor to both MK Colette Avital (Labor) and MK Amir Peretz (Labor) in the Knesset, where he was in charge of parliamentary and political issues. In the Labor Party, Eran was elected as Chair of Young Labor Jerusalem.

“Eran was 100% dedicated to what OneVoice is working toward,” said John Lyndon, executive director of OneVoice Europe. “He contributed to some of our greatest successes.”

Eran participated in two International Education Program tours, the first to California in 2005 with OneVoice Palestine youth leader Christine Soudah and the second to Washington, D.C. with OneVoice Palestine youth leader Aya Hijazi. During the latter trip, Eran and Aya spoke at a OneVoice outreach event alongside Ambassador Dennis Ross, White House advisor, and Daniel Lubetzky, founder of OneVoice.

“Beyond his personal warmth and innate charisma, Eran possessed a unique combination of intellectual skills and grassroots instincts that made him an invaluable leader,” said Daniel. “He was proud of his Jewish religious education and always brought forth insightful commentary from Rabbinical sages to advocate peace with his Palestinian neighbors. We will honor this tragic loss with a renewed commitment to continue the fight for peace.”

In a video-cast statement from his hometown of Jerusalem, Eran addressed over 2,000 dignitaries and global business leaders at the 2007 World Economic Forum, including President Mahmoud Abbas, Opposition Leader Tzipi Livni (Kadima), and President Shimon Peres.

In April 2007, Eran went into the streets of Tel Aviv dressed as a Saudi king to raise awareness and initiate dialogue about the Saudi Peace Initiative. Youth leaders passed out materials detailing the principles of the initiative and the potential opportunities it presented.

"The fate of Israelis and Palestinians is shared,” said Eran. “And so is our conviction not to let extremists infiltrate and damage our cause for peace and prosperity."

Eran is survived by his mother, father and two sisters. The funeral will take place tomorrow, July 12, in kibbutz Kiryat Anavim, near Jerusalem.

Out of tragedy rises tolerance

Smadar Cohen-Chen (right) reaching out to youth in Beersheba in 2007.

New York, June 30, 2011–Smadar Cohen-Chen has gone through two tragedies in her life: the death of her military commander in a bus attack and of a close friend in the 2006 Israel–Lebanon war.

What makes Cohen-Chen, a conflict-resolution teaching assistant at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC), so exemplary is instead of turning to anger and despair, she took a step back and looked closer at the social and political climate in Israel and reignited her own values.

“When you lose someone, your first response is to be very, very angry,” she said.

Dana Sender, the youth leadership program director at OneVoice Israel (OVI) said that many Israelis involved in OVI, like Cohen-Chen, have experienced an emotional hardship due to the conflict.  

But yet, Cohen-Chen stressed that it is important to understand what kind of a situation on the ground would allow for such actions.

To this self-described leftist, the political atmosphere in Israel has grown to such a degree that her views on the conflict and the two-state solution is often frowned upon. Cohen-Chen said she became more liberal after her friend died in Lebanon, and it was in college when she began studying government in her search for answers.

“It was then that I knew Israel can’t be perfect and all of its policies can’t lead to good things all of the time,” she said. “People will come up to me and say, ‘you’re a traitor, you’re not a Zionist, you don’t love Israel’ when that is not the case at all.”

Instead, Cohen-Chen cares for her country to a fault, and searching for ways to resolve the conflict includes scrutinizing government and reaching out to others, tragedy or not.  Her family background and work at OVI makes such negative arguments seem wanting.

“My mom was a professor and had Arab students,” she said. “Hating was never an issue for me. On some Shabbats, my family would go to Arab villages to meet people and drink coffee, and people thought that it was a little weird. I didn’t feel like an outsider; I thought I was doing something special.”

At OVI, Cohen-Chen participated in leadership seminars, toured Canadian colleges with OneVoice’s International Education Program, and attended the World Economic Forum workshop on taboos in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, alongside former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

In light of the impending United Nations September vote on Palestinian statehood, Cohen-Chen has observed rising anxiety levels among her fellow Israelis.

“Some people are concerned about the statehood idea,” she said. “Such people don’t feel the conflict in the day-to-day because they are comfortable with their own lives. It is only when an issue [of magnitude] interrupts their lives do they become stand-offish, and this can reinforce conservativeness.”

And while Cohen-Chen is living proof that such interruptions should not dissuade hopefulness, there are other progressives who feel that the reality of the day-to-day conflict sometimes becomes too much to bear.

Despite all that she sees and hears, Cohen-Chen remains positive.

“Tragedy could be a force for good,” she said. “If there weren’t any optimists, then peace wouldn’t really happen. I think if there were enough people like me and movements like OneVoice, peace would be a self-fulfilling prophesy.”

Shir Lachish learns personal empowerment through teaching

Shir Lachish will lead an International Education Program tour of the Midwest from April 6 - 16.

New York, March 29, 2011—In teaching teenage Israeli Arabs the importance of personal empowerment, Shir Lachish felt compelled to act; finding her own way to help end the conflict.

Shir, 25, began earning her law degree in 2009 at Tel Aviv University. The program offered the chance to teach teenage Israeli Arabs an introduction to Israeli law. The opportunity, Shir felt, was not to be missed. Over a 14-week semester, they not only covered an aggressive curriculum, but also discussed such topics as Israel’s democracy, the Israeli Arab community’s sense of marginalization, and of course, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 

“The weeks I spent with them taught me a lot about their perspective and I came to realize they too felt despair about the conflict,” said Shir. “While I was encouraging them to take an active role in shaping their future, I too felt empowered to act in shaping Israel's young Jewish democracy.”

After completing military service, Shir delved into her undergraduate degree in biology and chemistry at Tel Aviv University. She also worked as a chemistry research assistant at the university. Ambitious and politically curious, Shir applied for law school before completing her first degree to explore the fabric of Israeli society. Her curiosity also landed her an internship with the Israeli branch of Transparency International, a global anti-corruption organization. She’s researching the main bodies responsible for maintaining integrity, transparency, and accountability in Israeli society.

Though Shir’s experiences have been wide ranging, she credits her teaching experience with jolting her into action. Hearing her students complain about the state of their lives without any willingness to take personal responsibility made Shir think about the active contribution she’d like to make in her community. “I kept hearing from them that there’s nothing they can do and it made me think about what I can do personally to make a change, and to help shake them, as young people living in Israel, out of their apathy.”

Shir built trust with her students by giving them the opportunity to speak and be heard. She went beyond the class requirements by showing each one of them how they can make a difference by raising their own unique voice, an ideal ingrained in her since childhood.  

All that Shir needed was a platform to amplify her voice, and she found the perfect outlet when she came across OneVoice on her campus. “I was looking for a movement that accepts the fact that there are two contrasting narratives,” she said. “OneVoice advocates for the future – as the Israeli and Palestinian narratives clash over the past, all of us realized that where we can come together and agree on is our future.”

Shir joined her fellow OneVoice Israel activists in launching a Facebook “headlines” application last winter, intended to address growing apathy among the citizenry by asking them what they hope for on Israel’s 70th birthday. Users can design the front page of a tabloid, reflecting what they’d like to read in the year 2018. Since then, she’s been at the helm of several initiatives that call on every Israeli to take personal responsibility and action to end the conflict.

Join Shir and OneVoice Palestine’s Mohammad Asideh on tour this April, as they share their message to end the conflict at universities and institutions around the Midwest. 

San Francisco students are no ‘couch moderates’

OneVoice youth activists Tomer Avital and Bashar Shweiki prepare to speak to a San Francisco State University class.

New York, March 28, 2011—Amid great polarization and growing apathy in the Bay area, hundreds of San Franciscans looked to OneVoice’s youth leaders Tomer Avital and Bashar Shweiki as models of activism when the pair visited their communities in mid-March.

Tomer and Bashar implored their American counterparts to join them in pressuring political leaders and engaging their peers on college campuses. At several events held at San Francisco State University, University of San Francisco, and University High School campuses, Bashar and Tomer shared their personal stories, inspiring students to ask how they could support moderate Israelis and Palestinians in their quest for a two-state solution. Tomer and Bashar provided hope and direction, while simultaneously feeling inspired by the students they reached.

“Many people in Israel are ‘couch moderates,’ they scream at the TV and reject the extremists, but they don’t act or take responsibility for ending the conflict,” said Tomer at the University High School on March 16. “We want you to spread the idea that there are two narratives deserving of respect [in order to] look to the future to reach an agreement.”

“The conflict affects political policy and individuals all over the world,” added Bashar, who emphasized the necessary role of American citizens at a University of San Francisco event on March 17. “You must put pressure on your leaders to reach a peace agreement.”

OneVoice Israel (OVI) and OneVoice Palestine (OVP) are definitely leading by example. From the first ever Two-State Solution Caucus in the Knesset launched in part by OVI, to OVP’s meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and participation in a demonstration with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, OneVoice understands the importance of engaging the decision makers at the top.

Tomer and Bashar agreed that leaders need to feel supported by their people in order to have the courage to sign a peace agreement. They also need the international community’s support, which is where the American students come in.

Though polarization is widespread on many west coast campuses, from last year’s student divestment bill at the University of California, Davis, to increasingly frequent incidents between pro-Israel and Pro-Palestine camps, many groups and professors are committed to moderate dialogue and cross-cultural interaction, creating change on their campuses and helping OneVoice to engage both sides.

Tomer and Bashar felt that they were able to reach some diverse audiences in San Francisco. The impact OneVoice had in Northern California made Bashar feel “inspired to work harder” and eager to “share the experiences on this tour with people back home.”

Audience members felt inspired as well: “Meeting the youth leaders was humbling, and reminded me that while we sit in class discussing the conflict, there are thousands of people suffering it,” recounted one University High School student.

Mohammad Asideh Gets Practical to Build for the Future

Mohammad Asideh will lead an International Education Program tour of the Midwest from April 6 - 16.

New York, March 24, 2011—An enormous personal transformation has led Mohammad Asideh to discover that the common thread in successful conflict resolution is practicality.

Through his education, which culminated with his graduation from An-Najah National University in Nablus, Mohammad, 24, has learned that pragmatism and rationality are the paths to Palestinian statehood. He holds that tenet as the pinnacle aspect of liberation. In order for Palestine to emerge as a sovereign state, it must embrace the change that Mohammad himself has undergone.

“Think more practical,” Mohammad explains, “I realized that the use of violence would only lead to more violence and victims on both sides.”

As a teen in the West Bank, Mohammad’s life was turned upside down by the second intifada that began in 2000. Through the lens of a marginalized youth, he saw only one avenue through which to better the lives of his compatriots: fighting the Israelis. Through the power of education, however, Mohammad matured and later renounced violence as a means to statehood.

Reflecting on his about-face, he says, “I started thinking about finding a base for the Palestinian consensus about the future and not living in the circle of history, but curing history with mutual recognition. I think the Palestinian people have reached a state of consensus on a Palestinian state (based) on the 1967 borders and not resorting to violence in the face of the occupation, no matter how we were attacked.”

Though undoubtedly a man of letters, Mohammad’s education extends far beyond the classroom. He has spent his life in the occupied Palestinian territories, has seen poverty first-hand, has had loved ones killed, and now works with Palestinian refugees who have further enhanced his conviction that a pragmatic stance will precipitate a state.

Mohammad recalls a heartening conversation with a refugee in a Nablus camp, “The man said to me, ‘If reaching a comprehensive settlement requires mutual hard compromises to let our children live in an independent state, we will bear the price, including finding a just settlement for the right of return.”’

Mohammad plays a tremendously active part in Palestine disseminating the message that statehood can and will be achieved through nonviolent methods. “My role,” he says, “is to contribute to building the institutions of a future Palestinian state, raise awareness within the community, and support the unarmed resistance to bring about the end of the prolonged occupation of the Palestinian territories.”

The spirit of activism and forward-thinking is a driving force at OneVoice and it is embodied by our Imagine 2018 campaign. Imagine 2018 asks each individual to think not backward, but forward. Mohammad Asideh personifies this shift, “I started thinking more about the future than thinking of history.”

Instead of using history to sow division, Mohammad implores that we use history as an engine for cooperation, “In our case, I think that history and the suffering experienced by both peoples should be a motivation and a catalyst toward a comprehensive peace agreement, ending the occupation, and creating lasting peace between all parties in the Middle East.”

Join Mohammad and OneVoice Israel’s Shir Lachish on tour this April, as they share their message to end to the conflict at universities and institutions around the Midwest.