OneVoice stresses both sides

In difficult conflicts, such as the one being waged in Israel and Palestine, it is easy to hear the voices of each side faulting one another. Sometimes though, it is the combined voice of both sides wishing to find resolution to the conflict that needs to be heard the most.

This is the sentiment expressed by OneVoice, a grassroots movement that aims to bring Palestinians and Israelis together who support an end to the fighting. OneVoice encourages this joint group to take a more assertive role in resolving the conflict. Last night in Devlin 008, Odelia Englander, an Israeli, Nelly Soudah, a Palestinian, and Jake Hyman, international coordinator for OneVoice spoke on behalf of the OneVoice movement in their presentation entitled "Reason Over Passion: A Partnership for Peace in the Middle East."

Hyman opened the talk by explaining some of the strategies that the OneVoice movement has taken to reconcile the differences between Israelis and Palestinians. The first action was to poll each side about how it felt about the conflict; the results showed that the notion of mutual hate was a misconception. "In these polls, the vast majority of Israelis and the vast majority of Palestinians wanted peace and were prepared to compromise for it," said Hyman. The group thus decided that by showing open-minded Israelis and Palestinians that they shared similar goals, that progress could be made.

Since then, the organization has attempted to make this progress with programs such as workshops, peaceful protests, and petitions. OneVoice prides itself on its neutrality. "OneVoice is a total nonpartisan movement. We work on the grassroots level and we solely focus on promoting the political desires of the people," said Soudah. The group desires to promote conflict resolution among leaders, regardless of their party.

Englander and Soudah, two young women who have lived completely different lives, each shared with the audience the life experiences that shaped their views on the conflict, and their motivations for taking an active role in the OneVoice movement. Englander, who grew up in Israel, dreamed of becoming a professional ballet dancer until she had to give up this pursuit when she was drafted by the Israeli Army to serve her mandatory duty. After leaving the army, Englander was studying in France when she discovered that a close friend of hers had been injured in a Palestinian suicide bombing attack. After initially reacting with anger toward Palestinians, Englander decided that her energy was better served by trying to make the world a safer place so that her children would never have to experience the same dangers. With this newfound resolve, Englander decided to join OneVoice.

Soudah went through a similar defining experience that convinced her to join the OneVoice movement. Growing up in a Palestine neighborhood, she remembers being approached by soldiers and despising the Israeli army for its Palestine checkpoints. When her sister's fiancé was thrown in jail for not providing evidence to Israeli police officers, Soudah had lost much of her faith in the Israeli-Palestine conflict ever getting resolved. Her sister decided that she did not want her children growing up in the same kind of environment that forced her fiancé in jail. Through her sister's inspiration, Soudah pursued taking action to resolve the fighting and eventually joined OneVoice.

As Jake enthusiastically explains, OneVoice is not content to just work with the Israeli and Palestinian left. They work with conservatives and liberal. They work with the old and young, the rich and the poor. Many times, OneVoice volunteers encounter negative responses for their efforts. "Resentment is felt when I go to the streets. Whenever I encounter someone who has lost a child or loved one to the violence of the conflict … I get yelled at, I am threatened, and I have even been spit at, but I can't hold it against them. It's our goal to get everyone involved," said Soudah. According to her, the people who are most affected cannot be blamed for feeling resentment. Hyman agrees that resolving the Israel-Palestine conflict is a monumental task, and he sees a higher purpose for his taking action, "We are trying to build a better future for Israelis and Palestinians. … For those living in the region saying 'we can't resolve this' is not an option."