Forum seeks to initiate discussion, reconciliation

In the security of the UCLA community, Palestinian and Israeli
advocates will come together tonight in a forum that seeks to
engage a discussion on the future of the U.S. role in Middle
Eastern conflicts.

OneVoice, an organization that looks to bridge the gap between
Palestinians and Israelis through dialogue, plans to host a town
hall meeting tonight with a variety of speakers, including Jason
Alexander from “Seinfeld,” and Judea Pearl, computer
science professor and president of the Daniel Pearl Foundation.

The speakers will discuss the topic of “depolarizing
extremist groups from both backgrounds and uniting their cause for
peace through understanding and dialogue,” said Jason Hayman,
OneVoice’s international program director.

Given the complex and global task of peace between the
Palestinians and Israelis, OneVoice seeks to initiate unification
on a smaller scale.

The event is also hosted by Americans for Informed Democracy, a
non-partisan organization that aims to promote international
leadership and improve America’s image in the world by
coordinating town hall meetings.

OneVoice attempts to amplify the voice of non-extremist Israelis
and Palestinians “to achieve a consensus on core issues that
can form a roadmap for conflict resolution,” according to the
group’s mission statement.

With independent offices in Israel, Palestine and New York, the
4-year-old organization has attracted major celebrities like
Natalie Portman, Muhammad Ali, Brad Pitt, Lucy Liu, Jennifer
Aniston and Jason Alexander, among others.

Hayman has flown to various cities across the world to advocate
the OneVoice vision and recruit students. Event organizers expect
to attract hundreds of students because their previous stops at
UCSD and USC were successful.

“We want to mobilize the silent majority and call on every
individual to take responsibility for conflict resolution between
them,” Hayman said, referring to the population of
non-extremist Palestinians and Israelis.

“The town hall will allow youth activists to share their
vision for peaceful coexistence to reduce the extreme polarization
that has taken over,” Hayman added.

Pearl said he believes the most important goal of the night is
to shift from accusation to acceptance, especially at a time when
current peace efforts are at a stalemate.

Because of the holiday season for people of both backgrounds,
some say the timing for the event is less than ideal. Pearl,
however, stressed the timing for such an event is conducive to
reconciliation.

“When you have a celebration (both the Jewish New Year,
and the Muslim Ramadan fasting) that opens a new period,
you’re meant to look at the issues in a global perspective,
in new light,” he said.

The town hall will have UCPD on hand and is open to all
students free of charge. It is planned to start at 7:30 p.m. in
Haines A2, with light refreshments provided.

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