"There is a lot of anger in Gaza, a lot of support for Hamas, Islamic Jihad," said team leader Suliman Jadallah, referring to the militant groups sworn to Israel's destruction.
Himself a former fighter -- sentenced to 11 years, Jadallah said, for two attacks on Israeli soldiers in the 1980s -- he described the Peoples' Voice as a "new resistance."
"Enough with the violence. We know Israel is here to stay. Now we have to convince our leaders, and the Israeli public, that we really want to live side by side as two states," he said.
Jadallah and his staff keep the petitions in their homes or offices, letting potential signatories seek them out by word of mouth. They do not advertise -- Jadallah blamed lack of funds -- but hand out Peoples' Voice literature in the streets and shops.
At a cafe outside Gaza's Shathi refugee camp, five men in their 30s picked at sweetmeats and looked on as Jadallah and his aide plied them with pamphlets.
"Nusseibeh or anyone with him is not a real Palestinian," hissed one man over bitter black coffee. "Not an Arab, even!"
The aide lunged at him, but was pulled away by Jadallah.
SYMBOLIC SIGNATURES
The Israeli side of the Peoples' Voice is a world away in terms of logistics, with a corporate office, a Web site in four languages and speeches that Ayalon gives to packed audiences.
Ayalon attributed the disparity to his agreement with Nusseibeh that each side would raise funds independently.
"We were wary of giving the impression that the Palestinian activists were enjoying Israeli patronage," he said.
Ayalon has private backers, but these are few and far between in the cash-strapped West Bank and Gaza.
A Peoples' Voice spokesman said efforts to obtain EU funding had stalled, and that all Palestinian activists were volunteers.
The Israeli campaigners can afford to hire an independent polling firm to authenticate signatures, each of which must be accompanied by identification-card numbers.
The Palestinian side of the Peoples' Voice has no such oversight mechanism.
Its signatories are allowed to supply telephone numbers and abode instead of harder identifying details. Activists say fraud is not a major concern.
"We live in small communities. If someone's name is used without his permission he will complain, and if a name is invented the people living in his supposed town or village will come forward," Ghadayda said.
Nusseibeh, always accompanied by two bodyguards, said he hoped to change minds, on both sides.
"Apart, perhaps, from personal risk, we have nothing to lose," he said.
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