OneVoice Israel asks Israelis what they are willing to do to end the conflict

TEL AVIV, March 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- On the eve of President Obama's first visit to Israel and Palestine while in office, OneVoice Israel (OVI) intends to ask Israelis what they themselves are willing to do to end the conflict. Over the past ten years, OneVoice Israel has collected the names and ideas of hundreds of thousands of Israelis who have stated what they are willing to do to end the conflict.

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While President Obama is in the region, OneVoice Israel will continue to call on Israelis to take responsibility, and personal grassroots steps and commitments to end the conflict, echoing the president's own call to the Israeli public.

"What are you willing to do for peace? What hard steps are you willing to take?" Obama asked, according to Paul Richter of the Los Angeles Times.

Dozens of OVI youth leaders will approach Israeli citizens on the streets of Jerusalem near the president's planned appearances and collect their commitments to end the conflict on a giant "treaty" poster. As part of the planned activity throughout Israel, OneVoice will be present outside the Jerusalem International Conference Center before the president's speech Thursday evening.

OneVoice Israel aims to build on the momentum around the president's visit and his interest in hearing directly from the Israeli public in order to highlight and reaffirm the Israeli grassroots' willingness to lead from the ground up, while asking for the president to play his role and lead from the top.

OVI plans to supplement the grassroots efforts with a social media campaign giving Israelis the opportunity to answer the president's question and electronically state what they are willing to do to end the conflict.

"Ending the conflict with the Palestinians and the occupation is an Israeli interest," said OVI Executive Director Tal Harris. "Although we are excited about President Obama's visit, we know that it's ultimately going to be up to us. Since OneVoice's inception we have been focused on asking ourselves and the public what our role to end the conflict is. We can only hope that Obama and the rest of the world will eventually follow."

OneVoice seeks to amplify the voices of average Israelis and Palestinians, empowering them to propel their elected representatives toward a two-state solution. The Movement works to forge consensus and build a human infrastructure capable of mobilizing the people to hold their leadership accountable for establishing a negotiated, comprehensive, and permanent agreement that ends the occupation, ensures security and peace for both sides, and solves all final-status issues in accordance with international law and previous bilateral agreements. OneVoice focuses on civic engagement, youth leadership training, and public awareness campaigns to empower the grassroots to exercise their rights – and responsibility – to demand change and a peaceful future.