Daniel Lubetzky

Dear All,

All of you have been targeted by a campaign based on hatred and a commitment to hide issues from the people.

This is the truth: OneVoice does not seek to dictate final status negotiations, it does not have a political agenda. It is an organization whose work in building civil society can add massive value to the conflict resolution process precisely because it is not so arrogant as to dictate answers. You and I sitting together now and defining resolutions doesn’t do any good because we have no power to implement them – it is outside the real political world and symptomatic of political naivety and the fact that we have lost hope of actually changing anything, so we just row theoretically amongst ourselves.

In the November conference next month, the leaders will sit just as powerless because no one is standing up and saying that it is time to raise expectations. It is time for the world to know that the people of the region will accept the deteriorating status quo no longer.

If a million Israelis and Palestinians take to the streets tomorrow and say ‘we want answers found’ then maybe, just maybe, we will change this feeble political dynamic and not lose this opportunity and that provided by the Arab peace initiative.

What has happened is that people with an absolutist agenda, have taken a survey that OneVoice did years ago to gauge public opinion on different issues and changed questions into statements and claimed that it was a policy document for final status negotiations. This is simply a lie. If I had received it with all its lies, I would turn against the organization. But that’s because of the lies that mask the truth about an incredible attempt to galvanise civil society to empower the process to deliver the two-state solution that most people want.

Instead we face the reality that this opportunity will be missed, that Palestinians will be dismissed as ‘extremists and terrorists’ and that the truth will be lost.

I ask everyone on this list to forward this email so that the Israeli and Palestinian people know both that they have a partner on the other side, and that they have foul sinister enemies who would seek to use the refugees as a pawn in their political game in order to try to con us all out of a chance to end the situation – a chance that the people deserve.

Forward this message, publish this message, relay this message. You have the power between truth and lies now, between progress and regression.

Jake

Jake Hayman

International Program Coordinator

OneVoice Movement

I just came upon a posting from "Another Voice" again slandering the good work of the OneVoice Movement.

Among their allegations is that we invented the threats and intimidation that all Palestinian artists and staff were facing from these absolutists without any real plan other than to complain, attack and attack.

Several Palestinian dignitaries on our Board had to call each of the artists to not be intimidated.  In the end we had all back on board except DAM.  We even had a list of a dozen additional Palestinian groups willing to perform.  But in face of continued threats and lack of a guaranteed plan to provide security to our local and international guests, OneVoice Palestine was pained to reach the decision to postpone the Jericho event, and OneVoice International of course empathized with their decision.

Do not be fooled by false bravado.  Ask "Another Voice" if they support a concrete plan for ending the conflict that can really survive.  Ask them if they support a two-state solution.  Ask their founder, who wrote articles attacking even Yasser Arafat’s peace efforts, and who has been consistently against EVERY effort at achieving a historic compromise to enable the Palestinian and Israeli people to both live with peace and dignity, what is his plan.

And talk to the artists, behind the scenes when not being intimidated, and ask them if they were not being called incessantly by people intimidating them not to perform.

Ilham Madfai has courageously gone on record on BBC against the boycotters for their abusive intimidation.

The Palestinian staff of OneVoice staff are among the most decent dedicated courageous leaders I have ever come across – the highest caliber human beings anyone can every find.  And they are all fiery nationalists but who also have a brain and understand that if we want to end this conflict we need to recognize the right of two peoples.  This is the same case with the Israeli staff of OneVoice and what their motivations are.

To make peace and end the occupation and the violence you need a partner on the other side.  Who would be "Another Voice’s" partner?  Or do they pretend to think their false bravado will just obliterate the other side?

"Another Voice" HURT THE PALESTINIAN CAUSE by preventing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to show their case to the world, by preventing the people across the world to see a partner for peace, by preventing international celebrities who were eager to come to be able to get there!

It is so disgusting that this group now tries to wash its hands off their monstrous aggressive intimidation and threats.

They are dumb enough to even discuss some of their threats out openly on the web.  Here is just one posting out openly on one of their discussion group threads, courtesy of one of their former supporters who just wrote to me alarmed at the realization that these people are not advancing the cause of peace or justice for anyone:

Posted on the “Anti-OneVoice” page on Facebook.com, by "Another Voice.":

Ahmad Jaradat (Palestine) wrote
at 11:34am on October 9th, 2007

its good to have such a group but we need for more actions… like for example using RBJ to destroy their offices…

Message – Report

Diana Alzeer (Palestine) wrote
at 4:50am yesterday

people also join the group another voice

Message – Report

Article in Globe and Mail

THE MIDDLE EAST

Threats shut down Bryan Adams peace concert in West Bank

MARK MACKINNON

October 13, 2007

JERUSALEM — A breakthrough concert for peace in the West Bank town of Jericho, which was to be headlined by Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams, was cancelled yesterday amid a flurry of political protests and an unspecified threat to attack the music festival.

Concert promoter Daniel Lubetzky said that someone threatened the participants, without giving any further details. "Extremist ideologists have threatened our participants in Jericho, and we felt it is our responsibility not to play with their lives," he said.

The One Voice concert in Jericho on Oct. 18 was to be held simultaneously with another event in Tel Aviv that Mr. Adams was also to headline. The Tel Aviv event will go ahead, and Mr. Adams is still expected to play that show.

The twin concerts were part of a campaign aimed at getting a million Israelis and Palestinians to sign a petition renouncing "violent extremism, occupation, and terror" and calling for a two-state solution to the conflict. So far, 600,000 people, roughly half Israelis and half Palestinians, have signed the online petition.

The Oct. 18 show was to have coincided with pro-peace rallies in Ottawa, London and Washington.

The intentions were good, but this part of the Middle East, where people are obsessed with who did what to whom in the summer of 1967, when Israel won the Six-Day War and began its long occupation of the West Bank, always seemed an awkward fit for Mr. Adams, best known for his hit song about the halcyon Summer of ’69.

Even before the threats were made public, there was a campaign, led by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, to boycott the concert for "normalizing [relations] with Israel at a time that the latter continues its aggressive policies against the Palestinian people."

Other Palestinians questioned who was behind the concerts. The One Voice non-government organization behind the concert lists a variety of Israeli, Palestinian and international backers.

The decision to cancel the concert came shortly after Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, whose presidential guard was to have provided security for the Jericho show, issued a statement saying his office would have nothing to do with the concert and demanding the organizers recall tickets and promotional materials that suggested the president’s office was sponsoring the event. Mr. Abbas has "no relationship whatsoever with the activities planned by One Voice," the statement read.

Mr. Abbas’s office issued no further comment yesterday, but his close aide, Saeb Erekat, himself a co-chair of One Voice, said more preparation would have been needed to hold such a large show in the West Bank town.

Had the concert gone ahead, it would have been the first major show by a Western artist to be held in the Palestinian territories since the outbreak of the last Palestinian intifada, or uprising, in 2000.

The show was also criticized by Israeli hard-liners who oppose the idea of establishing a Palestinian state on land they consider to have been bequeathed to Jews by God. Yuval Steinitz, a parliamentarian from the right-wing Likud party, charged that One Voice had used "bribery" by promising free tickets to see Mr. Adams to those who signed the online petition.

The 47-year-old rocker could not be reached for comment yesterday, but Fathi Darwish, the promoter of the Jericho concert, said the cancellation of that show made the Tel Aviv performance even more important.

"We are facing extremists all the time here, but they cannot stop our struggle," he said, without expanding on who the extremists were. "I think that most Palestinian and Israeli moderates want to send a message, one message from both sides: that we are fed up with the situation, that we want to end the occupation, that we want to end the conflict."

An excellent article on efforts to attack and delegitimize the voices of reconciliation is posted at

Drowning out One Million Voices: The enemies of peace

12 days ago a slanderous press release was launched by a fringe group that sparked rumours that OneVoice Palestine exists to negotiate away the rights of refugees and international law. OneVoice’s teams here come together to categorically deny this and expose the fact that some Palestinians have been misled by a sinister campaign of hate, coupled with vicious threats of violence from extremists that have spiraled out of control.

OneVoice is a civil society movement to empower the conflict resolution process from the grassroots. We have no power to affect the content of negotiations, but we do have the power to tell the leaders and international community that we will no longer accept a failure to deliver real progress.

The OneVoice Mandate calls on our heads of State to commence immediate negotiations, uninterrupted until the conclusion of a viable Two State agreement in order to amplify moderate forces in the November negotiations. That is the power of the grassroots and without a mobilized grassroots constituency we leave our leaders open to attack and without the strength to deliver real answers.

Of course the people have demands, whether they be to end the occupation or to deliver security, OneVoice, however, does not have a political platform other than to endorse negotiations for a Two State solution and stands only to support the leaders and demand that the will of the people serve to energise the process. Its Palestinian offices in Gaza City and Ramallah, run by nationalist Palestinians for nationalist Palestinians, exist to do exactly this.

And so, an organization of around 600,000 Palestinian and Israeli signatories, board members from Palestinian Chief Negotiator Saeb Erekat, Jibril Rajoub, and Islamic Chief Justice Sheikh Taysir al-Tamimi to Arab-American Institute President Dr Jim Zogby and Founder George Salem, is being targeted by absolutists with no intention of ending the conflict, who are defrauding the people out of their right to peace, and into being a part of their battle. They must not be tolerated and we implore all of you who are confused by the lies and seek further clarification to look at the OneVoice track record and materials yourselves.

The opportunity is not lost: 600,000 people have already spoken and will not lose the hope and momentum we are building in the wake of the Arab Peace Initiative and the upcoming November Summit.

We will stand by President Abbas and tell him that he can and must deliver something for the people and that we will support him every step of the way when he does because these enemies of peace will attack him too as they did attack Chairman Arafat’s ‘peace of the braves’ and all other efforts toward a just solution that will bring about Palestinian independence, an end to the occupation and peace with its neighbours including Israel based on the terms that he as the Palestinian head of state agrees upon.

These enemies who use intimidation, fear and manipulation to protract the conflict through absolutist ideologies do not have any actionable proposals that will fulfill the wish of the Palestinian people. They have enchained the people for far too long.

Weird how amidst all the pressures and turmoil to pull off a feat against violent extremism, amidst little sleep and 20 hour work days, I feel so at peace.

Is it because I know I am giving it everything I’ve got and can do no more than that?

Is it that I feel something far more powerful than any of us is guiding us to do the right thing?

Is it the inspiration of being surrounded by such extraordinary team and such steadfast friends and board members?

Is it the impact of witnessing leadership from everyone from Saeb Erakat and Qadoura Fares to Brian Lurie and Shuki Weiss?

Is it the clarity of purpose?

Is it the dignity of action?

Or is it that my body is so tired and drained and punchy that at 4:31am everything looks more peaceful?

Not sure of the source of this b/c I got it in an email from a friend, but it helped me keep things in perspective…

Sheikh Abdallah Nimr Darwish, founder of the Israel’s Islamic movement told Israeli President Shimon Peres that the Arab world is ready to make peace once and for all if the "Israeli occupation" of Judea and Samaria comes to an end. "The Israeli flag will fly in the capitals of 57 Arab (and Muslim) states – something that the fathers of Zionism did not dare dream of," Darwish said on Tuesday at the close of Ramadan Iftar feast hosted by Peres. Darwish also said that the 57 Muslim countries have consented to the Saudi peace plan and that the Arab world wants to sovereignly acknowledge the State of Israel. Darwish also said he would agree to small land swaps between Israel and the Palestinians to give both states territory and that normalization was possible and referred to Israel’s political relationship with Egypt and Jordan. Darwish said, "If they have established diplomatic relations, there’s no reason for other Arab nations not to do likewise." He expressed hope of potential peace and insisted that the window of opportunity not be missed.

Wowa!  Two delegations of OneVoice Youth leaders met with fmr UK Prime Minister Tony Blair earlier today, where he warmly and enthusiastically endorsed the OneVoice Summit.  A press release should come out soon.

Blair is one of the most impressive global leaders, in my opinion highly under-appreciated by the British people, but then again, it is very common that some of the best leaders that are beloved in the world are less popular in their own countries (Gorbachev, Peres, et al.).

Blair’s seal of approval to OneVoice is another step showing MOMENTUM IS GATHERING!

Dion Nissenbaum from McClatchy Newspapers just posted a story about what we are doing for October 18th.  A lot of the questions in his interview made it quite clear that he was biased and apparently is friendly with the extremists that are attacking us, and throughout the course of the interview it was clear he already had reached some conclusions about the state of affairs and impugned that on me. 

This is a challenge, when you notice a reporter has a particular bent and wants you to answer questions conforming to his philosophy, and you try to bear their bias in mind to get them to understand your message.  It is difficult.

My thoughts:

• the first quote is mangled and I do not believe I said things as quoted and is probably out of context; at any rate, I meant to point out this is not a dreamy peacefest but a practical effort designed to once and for all do away with extremists and come up with practical solutions;
• the quote that is accurate and captures the sentiment shared by most people about the situation (even if it is negative) is that:

  [Those who advocate absolutist solutions and counter OneVoice's goals for an end to the conflict are '"a group of fringe extremists and false messiahs" who've led the region into a dead end.'

  "If you want this absolutist vision, keep it in your mind, but shut up and let us move on so those that want to end this conflict can move forward."

Advocates of a "one-state" non-solution (one state solution is an oxymorron b/c there is no such thing! You cannot solve this conflict through an absolutist position, certainly not unless you eradicate the other side) are posting in hatred-filled fringe blogs all their displeasure at our momentum, and falling into their own trap, exactly as we wanted all along.

By opposing the work of OneVoice they are slowly exposing themselves – and helping us gain more momentum!

We have been getting tons of new donations online – from people that only first heard about us after seeing the postings from these extremists, and got upset at their radicalism and rose up to help us overcome that!

This discussion is EXACTLY WHERE WE WANT TO HAVE IT…we are finally re-framing the conflict as it must be properly understood by people – not as a conflict of Jews vs. Muslims or Israelis vs. Palestinians, but as a conflict of the overwhelming majority of mainstream moderates that want an end to the conflict and are prepared to recognize their neighbors’ rights and humanity to achieve this, versus militant extremists or hatred-filled intellectual absolutists who insist on a "solution" that denies the humanity of the other side.  Extremism and absolutism is the enemy.