Olmert’s Offer to Abbas
Aluf Benn provided an insightful report on what Olmert "offered’ Abbas as a way to at least insert a proposal that may give him a legacy.
David Harris on Refugees
I was forwarded a provocative but interesting article by David Harris, head of AJC. While I am a fervent supporter of Israel as the haven and homeland of the Jewish people, I am very sympathetic to the plight of the Palestinian refugees, and I think more will be accomplished by acknowledging their suffering and then moving on to practical solutions along the Clinton parameters. But Harris does raise some provocative points worthy of consideration. Unfortunately, as with almost everything dealing with the Israeli-Arab conflict, this line of reasoning will appeal to partisan pro-Israeli views and repel partisan pro-Palestinian views, and nothing will come out of it except to further affirm the partisan convictions of each side - which is why I revert back to the approach of helping each side better understand the other’s narrative and then focus on WORKING SOLUTIONS like those offered in OneVoice’s citizen negotiations and the Clinton parameters. Anyway, here is the article:
Social Entrepreneurship Profile on BusinessWeek
Thanks to Stacy Perman for a profile about PeaceWorks, KIND, and OneVoice in BusinessWeek yesterday.
Imagine 2018 Essay Contest Winners Announced
From the OneVoice newsletter:
The results are in!
Ø 50 Palestinian winners and 50 Israeli winners have been selected
Ø Read some of the winning essays
Ø Israel & Palestine to Co-Host World Cup in 2018? Check out one vision for the future
· OneVoice Youth Leadership & outreach update
Ø OneVoice Israeli & Palestinian Youth to Tony Blair: “A Mideast Quintet”
Ø From our Gaza office: Town Hall Meeting in Beit Hanoun
Ø OneVoice is Referenced in House of Lords Debate 5 Times
Ø OneVoice Student Leader at Stanford Organizes Islam-West Unity Event
The Imagine 2018 campaign has only just begun – now that 100 winning essayists have been selected, 10 foremost directors will begin selecting 10 essays to turn into short films.
These films – the visions of Israeli and Palestinian youth brought to life – will be used to inspire people worldwide to envision some of the tangible benefits peace – to empower people to take action, and to ensure that the leadership acts with urgency and commitment to reach a two state agreement which ends the occupation and all forms of violence, and establishes a viable, independent Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with the state of Israel.
How you can get involved:
Donate – Sign up to the Movement – Forward our videos – Visit our blog & tell us what you think
The OneVoice Teams in Ramallah, Gaza, Tel Aviv, London, and New York
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Imagining Through the Lens of Kids
Khaled Diab wrote a nice article about OneVoice’s Imagine 2018 project, asking Palestinian and Israeli kids to visualize what their lives will look like in 10 years IF a peace agreement is achieved between Israel and Palestine.
Ron Pundak, a Role Model
I heard Ron Pundak (the CEO of the Peres Center) most recently attended a meeting of a coalition of NGOs working for peace, and he was struggling because he is fighting a particularly noxious type of cancer, currently going through treatment.
I have always secretly and quietly admired Ron, and have always felt we need more people like him. In a world filled with well-meaning mediocrity down to cynical manipulation, Ron never succumbs and always applies the highest standards to what he does. We seldom speak about people we admire with the candor they deserve, unless they are no longer with us, which means we lose the opportunity to do the right thing at the right time. Hoping that Ron will get stronger as we need him to continue to lead, I want to share why I so deeply am impressed with this man:
- Because he is a Doer - he gets things done;
- Because he works for the mission, not for the institution; if they conflict, in everything I’ve ever seen from Ron, the mission always takes precedence; he eschews jealousies in favor of positive partnerships; he thinks long-term; he doesn’t lose sight of his ultimate purpose;
- Because he is humble and down-to-earth, never seeking praise or the limelight, always just doing the right work;
- Because he is a solid manager and coach;
- Because he is an extraordinary thinker;
- Because he is a mentsch - a real human being - who treats everyone with dignity and respect, Israeli or Palestinian, President or janitor.
Sobering Attitudes correlated to sobering times
Just like on the Palestinian side the call for "resistance" has been strengthening, Israeli views towards negotiations with Palestinians are hardening, according to the latest War and Peace Index conducted by Professor Tamar Hermann. We’ve got our work cut out for us.
A good summary about Olmert’s Administration
Ehud Olmert died in the war and was buried in investigations. The two years under his governance since the war were not so bad. He knew how to run the Government, knew how to converse with world leaders, made some important security decisions and prepared the ground for peace. Soon, under Mofaz, Livni or Bibi, they will start to reminisce.
Nahum Barnea in Yediot Aharonoth
Olmert Resigns
Prime Minister Olmert has announced that he will resign after Kadima (his party) chooses a new leader in the primary elections that were negotiated under pressure with his rivals amidst the turmoil generated from investigations into his dealings. The investigations center around a disgruntled donor who supported Olmert back when he was Mayor of Jerusalem, well prior to Olmert’s turn to support peace negotiations with Syria and Palestine. I’ve heard from smart insiders that the prime "witness"/corrupt donor - Talansky - is a hawkish marionette of Sheldon Adelson, who may be prodding this investigation in an effort to derail negotiations. Upon hearing Olmert’s announcement, right-wing Knesset members immediately questioned Olmert’s legitimacy in his continued determination to pursue peace negotiations with Syria and the Palestinian Authority.
The Valley of Peace
Some will criticize this as Shimon Peres’s much-discounted "New Middle East" vision, but I love it, and I am confident that if Israelis and Palestinians get their act together and accept the historical compromises necessary to a comprehensive permanent agreement, this will only be the beginning. Check out this vision for the future of the Arava, intersecting Israel, Jordan and Palestine. It fits nicely within OneVoice’s Imagine 2018 Project.
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