Check out Ezzeldeen Masri’s vision for Palestine in 2018. I hope that his vision for peace and cooperation continue to spread beyond OneVoice and inspire widespread change that the nations need at this time.
Shlomo Ben-Ami wrote a very persuasive piece in The Guardian explaining that, precisely because the “moderate” leadership has no legitimacy because it was not elected and has hung on to power for too long, it forces them to be “unyielding” and to lack the power of compromise. He writes:
“The assumption – dear to the architects of the current process – that peace can be achieved by driving a wedge between "moderates" and "extremists" is a fatal misconception. The paradox here is double. Not only does one negotiate with the illegitimate "moderates", but it is precisely because of their legitimacy deficit that the moderates are forced to be unyielding on core issues, lest the radicals label them treasonous.”
He adds:
The Palestinian negotiators’ dangerous lack of legitimacy – and, indeed, the disorientation of the entire Palestinian national movement – is reflected in the return of the PLO to its pre-Arafat days, when it was the tool of Arab regimes instead of an autonomous movement. The green light was given to the current negotiators by the Arab League, not by the elected representatives of the Palestinian people
Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Darya Shaikh and John Lyndon, OneVoice executives, published a poignant op-ed in the Huffington post. Darya and John make the crucial point that peace talks on their own will not suffice in reaching a resolution for peace. Without a newfound commitment to peace and a willingness to compromise, the talks will be empty and futile. As OneVoice depicts in its “Imagine 2018” campaign, there are two very different possibilities for the future, and these talks may have the power to set the Mideast on the more favorable track. It all depends on the commitment of the leaders.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Check out this great PBS piece featuring PeaceWorks and Daniel’s efforts to end the Mideast conflict with OneVoice! Thank you Fred De Sam Lazaro for showing how entrepreneurship can enhance relations between Israelis and Palestinians (as well as in other conflict regions) while being lucrative as well. With the persistence of others who share Daniel’s unyielding passion and belief that economic cooperation can lead to peace, we hope to see a decrease in Mideast tensions soon.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
The Geneva Initiative has launched a new campaign in partnership with USAID which broadcasts messages from Palestinian leadership for the Israeli public. The short clips featuring different Palestinian leaders all vary but pivot around one shared message- that there is a Palestinian partner for a peace and the opportunity to reach an agreement should not be missed. To date, figures in the campaign include Cheif Palestinian Negotiator Saeb Erakat, Secretary-General of the PLO Executive Committee Yasser Abed Rabbo, Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki, Memer of the Fatah Central Committee Jibril Rajoub, and Former Member of the Negotiating Team and PA Minister Sufyan Abu Zaidah. Each message begins with “shalom” and ends with uniform, powerful promise: “I am your partner. Are you mine?” To watch the first three clips, click on the following image:
Bradley Burston wrote a column that is quite on-target regarding the problem with boycotts of Israel. He highlights how the progressive Olympia Food Co-op decided not to support a boycott against Israeli goods as it realized it was riddled with anti-Semitic statements and propaganda. Most of the international boycotts that claim to be against settlement goods, end up targeting ordinary Israeli products. And most of the organizers behind these boycotts state their goal is to end their occupation (a goal I support), where in fact their goal is the eradication of the State of Israel. While people tend to focus primarily on the obvious moral advantages of non-violent civic actions in lieu of violence against civilians, it is not enough to be non-violent for an action to warrant support. The goal itself should also be clear and transparent. A campaign that advocates an offensive goal does not cease to be offensive because its tactics are non-violent. Beyond the tactics, it is important for activists to make sure they realize what is their goal, and, in the case of Israelis and Palestinians, whether that goal is truly going to yield peace, security, respect and prosperity. If you analyze the realistic options, only the goal of two states for two peoples can accomplish that.
By Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
Tom Friedman discusses an appropriately complex documentary, “Precious Life” in this article and then compares its meaning to the appropriately complex reality of the Mideast conflict. Friedman’s point is not to condone Israel’s behavior unilaterally, rather to encourage her opponents to give constructive criticism, which comes from a place of understanding- a place that “Precious Life” depicts very nicely, according to Friedman.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
This great article in ReadWriteStart features a story about Startup Weekend, a Seattle based team of developers, marketers, and managers looking to facilitate startup launches, who recently partnered with the Peres Center for Peace (PC4P). The goal? To enable Palestinians and Israelis to collaborate on projects that both produce valuable items and build bridges. The Startup Weekend philosophy echoes the PeaceWorks belief that populations in conflict regions can cooperate in business endeavors and eventually build something much greater than the good or service they produce.
by Adeena Schlussel on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky
The International Trade Union Confederation called for peace in the Middle East. In the process, the ITUC rejected BDS and encouraged action by Histadrut, Israel, PGFTU and Palestine to revisit negotiations to achieve a resolution to the conflict. The ultimate goal is for both parties to accept a non-violent and lasting peace.
A lot of Israeli and Jewish friends often ask me about Palestinian textbooks and whether they teach about peace and co-existence. During the early part of the Abbas-Olmert administrations, I recall that Prime Minister Olmert mentioned to me that the Abbas Administration had done a remarkable job on this front, in contrast to many prior Palestinian Ministries of Education. It was also around this time that OneVoice did an incredible job working in partnership with both the Israeli and Palestinian Ministries of Education to launch the Imagine 2018 essay contest for kids ages 13-17, to ask them to visualize what would their lives look like in 2018 if their countries entered into a peace agreement and implemented it in the coming years.
Alas, Palestinians have regressed and apparently so have Israelis. An interesting article in Ha’aretz points out that the Israeli Ministry of Education under Prime Minister Netanyahu is objecting to inclusion of the Oslo negotiations and peace treaty in its texts, even though it does mention more recent events, like the peace agreement with Jordan.