Other Voice

Other Voice is an Israeli peace coalition, made up of Israelis living in Sderot and other communities near the Gaza Strip. It was founded in January 2008.

Other Voice is a member of Alliance for Middle East Peace.

History
Other Voice was inspired by a series of blog posts written by two anonymous writers – one in Sderot, and one in Gaza. It was founded in January 2008 by a small group, including the blog writers and activist Nomika Zion.

By January 2009, the group had about 80 dedicated Israeli members, both religious and secular. By mid-2014, the group had about 200 Israeli members, most of whom lived in Sderot.

Activity
The group maintains relationships with Gaza residents, whom they contact regularly through remote means. Sometimes, members will gather in larger meet ups to contact Gazans as a group.

In August 2008, 50 members of the organization held a cycling event along the Gaza border. Members held signs with messages of goodwill. Around a hundred Gaza residents cheered on the cyclists from their windows; although they had originally planned to leave their homes, volatile conditions on the ground made it too dangerous to do so. The Gaza blogger and founding member, using a speakerphone, asked the cyclists to "tell everyone that in Gaza you have partners for peace".

In 2011, Other Voice was one of the organizers of a Sapir College conference on non-violent resolutions to the Israel-Gaza border conflict. Right-wing individuals called for a boycott of the conference, which was taken up by the mayor of Sderot.

Other Voice hosts two drama groups, one in Israel and one in Gaza, who meet virtually once a week.

The group has worked with the Gaza Youth Committee.