McCartney wants 2-state solution

Former Beatle joins OneVoice in effort to push Israeli-Palestinian peace.

By MAYA SPITZER
mccartney in tel aviv 224.88 (photo credit: AP)
mccartney in tel aviv 224.88
(photo credit: AP)
Former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney became a member of the Honorary Board of Advisers of the OneVoice Movement (OVM) on Monday, in an effort to show his support for moderation and conciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, aiming for an eventual two-state solution. The musician, who said he was "happy to lend my support in this way to the cause of peace," was inspired to get involved with OVM after performing here in September. During the trip, he met with OVM activists, and had been "very touched" by its cause, according to Tamar Haberfeld, a media relations officer for the group. "During his concert in Park Hayarkon in Tel Aviv, McCartney wore a OneVoice pin to show support," she said. Since then, McCartney had been in contact with the group, "as part of the first stage of what we hope is a long relationship," she added. According to McCartney, "having met representatives of the association OneVoice, I was impressed, first of all, by the fact that half of the organization is Palestinian and half is Israeli. Almost 650,000 people have signed on to their manifesto, supporting their steadfast work to bring about a negotiated solution and peace in the region. "They told me that the vast majority of people in both societies are moderates and simply want a better life for their families and themselves. This gave me great hope that, one day, people like them will help to bring about a peaceful resolution to the troubles in the area." OVM is an international grassroots movement that aims to "amplify the voice of the overwhelming but heretofore silent majority of moderates who wish for peace and prosperity, empowering them to demand accountability from elected representatives and work toward a two-state solution, guaranteeing an end to occupation and violence and a viable, independent Palestinian state at peace with Israel," according to the group's statements. The movement was founded in 2002 by Daniel Lubetzky, whose own company, PeaceWorks, was founded on the premise of economic cooperation between Israeli and Palestinian business interests. OVM runs public awareness campaigns, an essay contest, a town hall meeting series and has an ongoing youth leadership program for Israelis and Palestinians. The organization has already trained 1,800 youth leaders to promote its cause. The Honorary Board of Advisers, which includes other celebrities such as Danny DeVito and Jason Alexander, provides guidance to the movement and convenes annually to discuss the state of moderate peacemaking in the region. According to Haberfeld, McCartney's primary role as of now will be "mostly to show solidarity through his membership to the organization." OVM welcomed McCartney's further involvement in whatever capacity he envisions. Alexander has been involved in the "Imagine 2018 Essay Contest," which invited Israeli and Palestinian youth to send in entries envisioning the region in 10 years' time if a peace agreement were signed in 2008. A book of winning entries, entitled Imagine 2018 was published with a dedication by Alexander.