Daniel Lubetzky

I was struck when I saw the initial cut of this film at how the Director, Adam Hootnick, was able to be objective and empathetic about every subject it covered, avoiding caricatured stereotypes, and helping us understand the perspective and motivations of those involved during the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.  I highly recommend it for any person who wants a better understanding about the Middle East.

UNSETTLED, a documentary feature film following the lives of a varied group of Israeli twenty-somethings during the withdrawal of Israeli settlements from the Gaza Strip, will open for a limited engagement at NYC’s Pioneer Theater on Friday, May 9th, and LA’s Laemmle Music Hall 3 on Friday, May 16th. The film has won a number of festival awards including Jury Prizes at Slamdance (2007) and Sonoma Valley (2008). MTV’s Kurt Loder calls it "remarkable for the balance of its compassion, and for the range of youthful intelligence it reveals," and Ambassador Akbar Ahmed, former Pakistani representative to the UK, calls the film "very important for people in the Muslim world." Special dialogue events have been announced in both cities.

In New York, the 8pm May 13th screening will feature a post-film talkback with Director/Producer Adam Hootnick and Najla Said, actress and writer.

In Los Angeles, the May 18th screening will feature a post-film talkback with Professor Reza Aslan, author of No god but God.

To view a trailer and get ticket info, visit http://www.UNSETTLEDmovie.com

Malaka Samara and Shani Gershon just completed a OneVoice Tour to Southern California – one of six regional tours with young Israeli and Palestinian OneVoice activists completed over this last year by Laurel Rapp, International Education Program Coordinator.

Neither of them had ever met someone from the "other side" before, so they did not just impact the hundreds of people they spoke to but also

[Read more →]

I just got this very cool invitation from Laurel Rapp, who runs our International Education Program…

You’re Invited: Global Town Hall Meeting
(webcast live to your classroom!)

Ever wonder what young Israelis and Palestinians growing up in conflict zones hope for, dream about, and are working to change?
Ever wonder what both groups are doing to end the conflict between their two peoples?  
Ever wonder what our role as citizens of the world should and can be?

If you’ve ever wondered and would like to know more, please join Empower Peace and OneVoice on Monday, May 19, for a Global Town Hall Meeting webcast from East Jerusalem linking Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders with students and young people from around the world.

[Read more →]

In sharp contrast to Carter, Israeli President Shimon Peres gave an important presentation to Foreign Journalists where he highlighted Iran’s proliferation threats to the world, and warned against appeasing Hamas. Peres also emphasized the imperative of developing new sources of energy as an environmental and geo-political imperative.  Here is a good article on it:

[Read more →]

Whatever your opinion on Jimmy Carter and his controversial trip to Syria to meet with President Assad and with Hamas leader Khaled Maashal, reading the report in Carter’s own words should be of value:

[Read more →]

The Jerusalem Post reports that Olmert is again being investigated on allegations about political fundraising activities that took place well prior to his tenure as Prime Minister.

Some opposition lawmakers called on him to resign because of the investigations.

Prior investigations that started with a lot of bravado have gone nowhere, as Knesset member Yoel Hasson (who serves on OneVoice’s Board) noted.

To me the plethora of failed investigations is evidence of the politicization of the legal process, as opposed to evidence of wrongdoing.

ALL of these investigations relate to the period when Olmert was running for Mayor of Jerusalem, as part of the Likud party, and with a far more hawkish stance of things.  Much of his financial support presumably came from very conservative Jewish sources that are not happy with Olmert’s peacemaking efforts.

It seems quite possible, or likely, that some of Olmert’s past donors are disenchanted with his goal to strike a framework agreement with the Palestinians this year, and they are trying to "cooperate" with the Israeli police to derail the hope of a two-state-solution. 

Is this a proper outcome of the democratic process? 

As is most common in stable democracies, shouldn’t the Head of State have a significant degree of immunity from politically-inspired allegations, particularly if dating back to before the Head of State’s tenure, and particularly if not dealing with national security issues?

David Troube wrote an insightful article about what is behind much of the "Boycott Israel" movement.

[Read more →]

Interesting article, not wholly balanced as ending the occupation is just as important, but recognizing Israel as the sole State with a Jewish majority is also essential if there is to be an agreement…

IS ISRAEL A JEWISH STATE?
Jeff Jacoby
Boston Globe, November 14, 2007

   In advance of the upcoming diplomatic conference in Annapolis, Israel [PM] Ehud Olmert announced the other day that he expects the Palestinian Authority to finally acknowledge Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. A newly arrived visitor from Mars might wonder why this should even be an issue—after all, Israel is a Jewish state. If the more than 55 countries that make up the Organization of the Islamic Conference are entitled to recognition as Muslim states, and if the 22 members of the Arab League are universally accepted as Arab states, why should anyone balk at acknowledging Israel as the world’s lone Jewish state?

   Yet Olmert’s demand was rebuffed. Saeb Erekat, the senior Palestinian Authority negotiator, said on Monday that Palestinians would refuse to recognize Israel’s Jewish identity on the grounds that "it is not acceptable for a country to link its national character to a specific religion."
   In fact, there are many countries in which national identity and religion are linked. Argentinian law mandates government support for the Roman Catholic faith. Queen Elizabeth II is the supreme governor of the Church of England. In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the constitution proclaims Buddhism the nation’s "spiritual heritage." The prevailing religion in Greece," declares Section II of the Greek Constitution, "is that of the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ."
   In no region of the world do countries so routinely link their national character to a specific religion as in the Muslim Middle East. The flag of Saudi Arabia features the shahada—the Islamic declaration of faith—in white Arabic script on a green background; on the Iranian flag, the Islamic phrase "Allahu Akbar" (God is great") appears 22 times. And then there is Erekat’s own Palestinian Authority, whose Basic Law provides in Article 4 that "Islam is the official religion in Palestine."…
   So why won’t the leaders of the Palestinian Authority acknowledge the obvious—that Israel is the Jewish state? The Jewish connection to Palestine is a matter not just of rich historical fact, but of international law. When the League of Nations entrusted Britain with the Mandate for Palestine in 1922, it expressly recognized "the historical connection of the Jewish people with Palestine" and the rightfulness of "reconstituting their national home in that country." By that point, Britain had already transferred 80 percent of historic Palestine to Arab rule—today’s Muslim kingdom of Jordan. All that remained for a Jewish state was the residual 20 percent. But there, at least, it was clear that the Jewish community was "in Palestine as of right and not on sufferance," as Winston Churchill underscored at the time….
   Yet all this is beside the point. The refusal of the Palestinian Authority to acknowledge Israel as a legitimate Jewish state isn’t a denial of reality; it is a sign of their determination to change that reality. Like Arab leaders going back a century, they seek not to live in peace with the Jewish state, but in place of the Jewish state. Olmert can show up at Annapolis bearing Palestinian sovereignty on a silver platter, with half of Jerusalem thrown in for good measure. He will not walk away with peace. On the contrary: He will intensify the Arab determination to replace the world’s one Jewish state with its 23rd Arab state.
   The key to Arab-Israeli peace is not Palestinian statehood. It is to compel the Arab world to abandon its dream of liquidating Israel. As a matter of national self-respect, Olmert should repeat his demand that the Palestinians acknowledge Israel’s Jewish identity—and make it non-negotiable. If Israel cannot insist even on so fundamental a point of honor, it has already lost more than it knows.