Daniel Lubetzky

by Kim Walker on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

OneVoice teamed up with students at Tirtza Grannot [the Academy of Commercial Communications] in Tel Aviv to create moving visuals that address many of the key issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The best 40 were then exhibited and a winner was chosen. The winning poster is below, and the tagline says, "People Are Dying. To End The Conflict."

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by Kim Walker on behalf of Daniel Lubetzky

British newspaper The Independent recently highlighted Natalie Portman for her new vegan shoe line and her involvement in good causes, including OneVoice!

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OneVoice Palestine participated in the Strengthening Nonviolence in Palestine, organized by Realizing the Dream, Inc. Middle East Nonviolence and Democracy Center, and The Center for Democracy and Community Development. More than 200 people attended the conference, in which Martin Luther King, III- the oldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the founder of Realizing the Dream, INC talked about his father’s nonviolent struggle to grant the African Americans their civil rights in the U.S.A.  Johnny Mack, the executive vice president of Realizing the Dream, talked about the need for adopting nonviolent technique to reach a solution to the Israeli/Palestinian conflict.

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With extremism being particularly rampant among some religious followers who become increasingly zealous about their convictions and practices, and with the cartoonish tensions created by black and white contrasts set out by desensitized uber-capitalism vs. new age parsimoniousness, I was struck by the depth and timeliness of these contrasting messages:

With regard to all human traits, the middle of the road is the right path.  For example: Do not be hot-tempered, easily angered.  Nor, on the other hand, should you be unfeeling like a corpse.  Rather, take the middle of the road: keep an even disposition, reserving your anger for occasions when it is truly warranted.  Similarly, do not cultivate a desire for luxuries; keep your eye fixed only on genuine necessities.  In giving to others, do not hold back what you can afford, but do not give so lavishly that you yourself will be impoverished.  Avoid both hysterical gaiety and somber dejection, and instead be calmly joyful always, showing a cheerful countenance.  Act similarly with regard to all the dispositions.  This is the path followed by the wise.

- Maimonides, 12th Century

And

…this path, the one that avoids extremes, is called the ‘path of God,’ and Abraham taught his descendants to follow it.  Whoever follows it gains goodness and blessing, as it is said, "For I have known him, that he might command his children and those who follow him to keep the Lord’s path, doing justice and right, that the Lord may fulfill for Abraham the divine purpose (Genesis 18.19)."

A new poll by Dr. Nader Said confirms that Palestinians are disenchanted with those who govern them.  Even though Palestinians are traditionally very loyal to one political faction or another, they are fed up with corruption and destruction and are increasingly favor independent technocrats.  Below are some of the highlights from the poll:

• A vast majority (82 percent) support an immediate PLC election.
• Two thirds of Palestinians support the position of Fayyad Government to hold local election in July.
• 37 percent in the West bank and 27 percent in Gaza feel that corruption is on the increase.
• 57 percent of Gazans view negatively the performance of the Haniyeh Government in improving the economy.
• 51 percent of Gazans negatively evaluate the performance of the Haniyeh Government in respecting personal and civil freedoms; while 38 percent of West Bank respondents feel the same way about the Fayyad Government.
• Gazans are much more critical of the Haniyeh Government than West Bank respondents; while the Fayyad Government receives lower evaluation in the West Bank than in Gaza.
• 73 percent support the appointment of a woman (Dr. Laila Ghannam) as Governor.
• Only 8 percent feel that Mr. Obama is serious about establishing a Palestinian state.
• A PLO list will win over an Islamist one in an upcoming PLC election.
• Abbas, Fayyad, and Mustafa Barghouti win over Haniyeh in an upcoming presidential election.
• Independents will play a decisive role in local and national elections.

To those who wonder if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will ever end and who think it is truly “intractable”, I thought I’d share a note from my colleague John Lyndon, Executive Director of OneVoice Europe:

I know that this is off-topic, but just thought I’d draw people’s attention to a not-entirely-unrelated news story: The ‘final piece in the jigsaw’ was put into place in Belfast, Ireland last night, with the finalising of twenty year long process of negotiations, for a seven hundred year long conflict. The DUP and Sinn Féin (the two most extremist political parties in modern Irish history) have agreed the last details of a power sharing agreement.

Strong, patriotic and at one time violent leaders of both communities sat down and thrashed out a deal that looks like putting to bed most of the grievances that resulted in decades of violence and thousands of deaths. Conflicts do end, the wishes of the moderate majority bear fruit, and extremists eventually come into the political mainstream.

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Bono just wrote an opinion piece advocating, among other things for 2010:

• A Festival of Abraham where artists celebrate Muslim, Jewish and Christian traditions (similarities to OneVoice’s OneMillionVoices campaign)
• The World Cup as tool for political change (similar sentiment to OneVoice’s Goal2018 Campaign)
• People Power, in line with the What Are You Willing to Do To End the Conflict campaign
• Non-violent revolution (in tune with why OneVoice was created)

So it seems OneVoice should invite Bono to join its Honorary Board, alongside music and change icons like Sir Paul McCartney.

Article pasted below…

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Jason Alexander often shares with prospective OneVoice supporters that the first thing that drew him to OneVoice was not the creativity, courage or logic of our plans, but the parental empathy he felt when my friend Mohammad Darawshe. 

Mohammad spoke about his efforts to steer his then 9 year-old son Fares away from the commitment to become a Shahid. Back in 2001, Fares had told his Dad that, just like he had met his commitment to make the soccer team, and just like he had met his pledge to score the highest grades in class, he now was committing to achieve martyrdom.  These were heady times, when Israelis and Palestinians were engaged in one of the deepest cycles of violence in their history. Mohammad  took the warning signs seriously.  He more than succeeded in steering Fares towards positive ways to lead his people, and today Fares attends Kings Academy in Jordan and is – like his Dad – one of the brightest hopes that Israelis, Palestinians and internationals have for peace and reconciliation.

This powerful article by Ethan Bronner made me think of Jason’s emotional connection with Mohammad’s plight.  Back then I had no children.  Now I do.  And this piece made me shed more than one tears of hope.

December 31, 2009

A Mideast Bond, Stitched of Pain and Healing

By ETHAN BRONNER, New York Times

JERUSALEM — He can be impulsive. She has a touch of bossiness. Next-door neighbors for nearly a year, they talk, watch television and explore the world together, wandering into each other’s homes without a second thought. She likes his mother’s eggplant dish. He likes her father’s rice and lamb.

Friendship often starts with proximity, but Orel and Marya, both 8, have been thrust together in a way few elsewhere have. Their playground is a hospital corridor. He is an Israeli Jew severely wounded by a Hamas rocket. She is a Palestinian Muslim from Gaza paralyzed by an Israeli missile. Someone forgot to tell them that they are enemies.

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The Jerusalem Post TV bureau covered Keith’s visit with Israeli and Palestinian youth leaders of OneVoice.

Last week, Sen. Richard Lugar met with Jason Alexander and OneVoice youth leaders. Photos were featured on Roll Call website and on Reuters.

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