Other Voice

Other Voice consists of citizens who live in Sderot and Israeli communities near the Gaza Strip. It is a non-partisan group; our members come from diverse backgrounds and hold a broad range of beliefs. We live in a violent region, in which thousands of people from both sides of the border have been killed, wounded and hurt, mainly innocent civilians. The escalation of the conflict has deepened the mutual fear and hatred, and destroyed feelings of personal safety. We call for creative action that will bring about a long-term, non-violent solution to the region. Members of the group believe that our communities in Israel and Gaza can thrive only if there is a cessation of violence, and if we engage in active cooperation to end the violence and help turn our joint region into a thriving area. Our group is in ongoing contact with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who believe, as we do, in non-violence and mutual respect that will bring about the much anticipated change. We call upon our Israelis and Palestinian to join the initiative and to reach out to those brave people that are already willing to stand up publicly and say that the time has come to end this useless and senseless conflict. We call upon our leaders in the region and in the world to listen to the voices of the citizens and to do all that can be done to reach a peaceful solution that will strengthen the region instead of destabilizing it. This solution must include an end to the siege on Gaza, and full cessation of all hostilities and infringement of human rights on both sides of the border.