Daniel Lubetzky

A YGL from Colombia mentioned at a session here in Dalian that
‘reality changes faster than perception,’ which is a challenge to
Colombia because even as vast economic, social and political
developments take place, the stereotype about Colombia as a dangerous
guerrilla-ridden zone will take far longer to change.

The same problem exists in conflict areas.

It is a serious challenge because media will have a big incentive to
report the bad, but relatively little compunction to report the good.

At a session on simulating business management of risks, an executive
of a newspaper explained he was primarily driven by selling more
newspapers, so controversial and negative developments that shock,
scare, and incite will always take the front page.

For OneVoice, and for moderates and centrists worldwide, this presents
a serious challenge.

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Conventional wisdom definition for Naive: someone too innocent and
dreamy who thinks he or she can help change or impact socio-political
conditions or somehow alter the course of history or their surroundings.

In areas of conflict, it also tends to be used to counter someone who
does not think ‘the enemy’ is mono-chromatic or wholly arrayed to the
destruction of the other.

OV Definition for Naive: someone who believes 2 politicians alone can
bring peace to the region or otherwise resolve a nation’s ills;
someone who believes inaction is a luxury they can take, and does not
realize every day that moderates don’t take action they cede the
agenda to extremists who are passionate and committed enough to do
something.

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Israeli Taxi Drivers are very special. They are also psychologists,
political scientists, and socialites all packed into one.

Unlike NY taxi drivers where seating on the front is only done when
there are too many passengers, with Israeli drivers you are just as
likely to sit in the front, and the drivers can – and will not
hesitate to – speak knowledgeably about almost any topic.

Many Israeli cabs are brand new Mercedes Benz cars (partly because of
a culture of pride in the car driven, partly becuase of the lo g-haul
quality, and partly because Taxis don’t need to pay the massive 45%
government tax). Fares are reasonable AND tipping is an appreciated
exception.

The best way to get a feel for the sentiment on the Israeli street is
to talk to Taxi drivers. Even though I have a car there, going to
meetings within Tel Aviv can cost you more in parking and give you
more headaches finding a spot than just taking a cab. And there is
the added plus of the taxi drivers.

Trying to get taxi drivers to believe in the power of the people is
not easy – they are skeptical creatures. But they are far more
skeptical of politicians. And when they eventually come on board,
they are strong emissaries. Some have agreed to hand out OneVoice
Mandates from their cabs.
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Who asks for the business card (or aims to establish a relationship)
tells you a lot about power dynamics.

It is easily understood that younger up-and-coming entrepreneurs will
try to link up with high-powered CEOs or that salespeople will aim to
connect with buyers.

But another subtle dynamic I keep noticing is that, in general,
Palestinians are far more interested in getting business cards of the
Israelis or international citizens they meet.

At our youth leadership summits between Israelis and Palestinians,
both sides are so surprised, motivated and energized to confirm first-
hand that they have a partner working for the same goal on the other
side. But it is the Palestinians that more frequently ask for the
business card.

This is understandable because for Palestinians, contact with some
Israeli can be a more likely life-line in the current circumstances
where they live.

When our OneVoice Gaza Executive Director was held up with four
computers for more than an hour at a checkpoint, he ended up calling
Adi Balderman who finally succeeded in intervening and helping
establish these were indeed for the organization and that Mowaffaq was
the real deal.

Jews and other minorities that have traditionally been persecuted also
have a greater instinct to establish links with the other,
particularly when the other has greater power or can control their
destiny.

Probably more so for children of Holocaust survivors. Besides the
importance of OneVoice building a network of moderates all over, I
sometimes find myself wondering in a stream of consciousness what
would happen if I was taken hostage when I am in Gaza or if I was
stuck somewhere between rival factions.

Would any of my ‘connections’ be able to help? While most likely they
would not, it is emotionally reassuring that they would try.

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  Today we met with Dr. Saeb Erakat in Jericho & he agreed to join the
OneVoice Honorary Board and to help us with the OV Summit.

Erakat is the tough but fair, pragmatic and constructive head
Palestinian negotiator.

(here he is in center with me on the left and Dr. Fathi Darwish on the right)

Last May at the WEF conference in the Dead Sea, Dr. Erakat stunned the
audience by publicly chastising Iran’s delegation for their negative
interference in Palestinian-Israeli affairs.

Iran’s Minister was waxing poetic about the Palestinian struggle and
the Zionist satan when Erakat called Iran for its hypocrisy and asked
the panelist, "please, don’t help us. You are hurting us with your
calls to annihilate Israel. Please don’t help us. I am telling you
now as a Palestinian. Stay out of our affairs."

Erakat recognizes the importance of public opinion and grassroots
efforts. He also serves on the board of Seeds of Peace. He committed
to speak at the Oct.18 summit.

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Palestinian negotiators invoke the fact that the window of opportunity for a two-state solution is closing and will soon be replaced by the call for a “One State Solution” in order to incite fear among Israelis and push them to the negotiating table.  But this negative tactic is unwise, both because a “One State Solution” is akin to a state of war, because Israelis will never accept it, and because it causes bad will among the Israeli public.

Israelis use the path of unilateralism as a means to redress the perception that time is not on Israel’s side and that Palestinians should thus not be in a hurry to negotiate.  By being willing to unilaterally extricate themselves from the Palestinian lands and impose a solution, Israelis hope that Palestinian negotiators recognize they will not be able to use time against Israelis, and that they will get less if they don’t come to the negotiating table with a pragmatic approach.  But this strategy, too, is unrealistic, because there will not be a bilaterally and internationally agreed end to the conflict without an agreement among the parties.

In the end, both parties are barking a lot, but neither of their barks has bite.

The only bite is from militant absolutists and foreign fundamentalists that will use this incessant leaderless back-and-forth bickering to drive a wedge and pray on the situation.

Both sides need to recognize that time is not on the Israelis OR Palestinians’ side.  Time is not on the side of moderates that want to end the conflict. 

 The Clinton Parameters lay out clearly how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be resolved.  The Heads of State of both Israel and Palestine were elected on a platform to end the conflict.  Both Olmert and Abbas want a two-state solution. The Israeli and Palestinian public have clear supra-majorities that support a two state solution (at least still now, though not forever!).  It is time for the politicians to sit, lock the door, and not exit the negotiating table till they work out the details for an agreement premised on the Clinton parameters (which the OneVoice Pillars from the People are based on).

Enough bargainging and posturing!  All of this is helping only Ahmadinejad and his proxies!

That is why on October 18th, 2007 the Israeli and Palestinian people in unison will send a message to the world and to their leaders: we demand immediate, uninterrupted negotiations till the completion of an agreement among our heads of State, to be presented to their people within a year from that date.  www.OneMillionVoices.org.  The deadline from the people is October 18, 2008.  The time has come.

Then there are the low moments, which invariably will come when you
are taking yourself outside the safety zone, which you must do if you
want to achieve something meaningful.

When things are bad or bad news or disappointments come – you must
derive strength – from friends and family, from a steadfastly united
team, from Board members and supporters – and from internal conviction.

Self-analysis and critical introspection are also invaluable here.
But most essential is to not lose the long-term vision, to keep things
in perspective, to remember why you do what you do – and to remind
yourself where you are coming from.

Today as most days over the last couple months has been an almost
intolerable roller-coaster of many highs and some painful lows, of
news, developments, successes, setbacks, warm and much needed pats on
the back, and cold skeptical dismissals that of course also ‘get to
you.’

It started with success after success on the recruitment, media and
fundraising front. But then I got a phone call from an important Arab
dignitary who had promised to lend a hand and unfortunately backed out.

We will certainly overcome, and the momentum is overall steady and
strong. But high expectations can be the worst enemy of your spirit.

My personality is such that I take successes as a given, and I take
setbacks very seriously. They really bring me down.

At these times it is good to be able to count on friends and
supporters whose loyalty is ironclad. And it is important to remember
there is NO ALTERNATIVE but to prevail. Too much is at stake.

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Today we filmed our first scenes of the “We Are Standing Up” viral video we are planning to release as a teaser for the October 18th OneVoice Summit: One Million Voices To End the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.

It was great seeing the energy of all involved, the real commitment, and the real awakening that happens in peoples’ actual lives, when they get involved with our message even if through film…

 The sound guy, who never had known about OV till today, started debating with a group of 4 Israelis who initially would have rathered been left alone – and told him so.  In the end, he signed them up and they got involved.

Gil Shamy, the OVI Executive Director, recruited a couple dozen people to join us for the recording.  And Ayelet Daniel quickly followed up to get them to wear OneVoice pins and get them to sign the OneVoice Mandate.

This is the power of OneVoice, that people start recognizing their power and potential for change, and we just need to keep going till we achieve critical mass and tip the point.

Today’s filming was in Tel Aviv, on Rothschild Street – which is actually a beautiful avenue.  We had a grandmother (played by Savta Dotty who blogged about us) stand up from her knitting, a pregnant Mom stand up for the future of her kid, and a few others who you will have to wait to see.

 Yesterday in Ramallah I planned the filming with the Palestinian team and hopefully we’ll complete the filming on both sides within a week to two at most – and edit right away, to release by second week of September.  If it ends up looking the way I have envisioned it in my mind, I think it will be an energizing blockboster that will really awaken people.

It starts from apocalyptic depression and inaction,

moves on to an internal awakening,

which results in each individual STANDING UP To End The Conflict

and culminates with ALL PEOPLE joining together as OneVoice to Stand Up….

Then it cuts to invite the viewer: Join Us on October 18th.  You, too, Stand Up…

12 surfing boards were delivered by Doc and David through Mowaffaq’s facilitation, amidst enormous media attention.  Here are a couple, amidst hundreds of stories that were picked up on TV and Newsprint:

New York Times Story – Prescribing Surfboards for Peace

 The Guardian Story – Reuters – Surfer Promotes Israeli-Palestinian Peace

 And a couple pics, some public and some from behind the scenes:

More pics here:

Dorian being interviewed, David watching over

Mowaffaq from OV Gaza and Ayelet from OV Tel Aviv

Watching the interaction between Shlomo Artzi and his audience, now I
understand why he is seen as THE foremost icon of the Israeli people.

He is as big a star as they come in Israel – without any doubt the #1
choice of the Israeli people – and yet he has this warmth &
approachabiliry & comfort in his own skin, to be loved by all. More
so, Israelis seem to relate to him as their favorite member of the
family.

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