On April 17, nearly 7,000 Israelis and Palestinians came together to remember the shared pain experienced on both sides of the conflict. The Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony comes to remind us that war is not an act of fate but one of human choice.

Leading up to the Ceremony, the Israeli Supreme Court ruled that 90 Palestinians will be granted permits to attend the joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day ceremony defying a move made earlier by Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman to bar the Palestinians from entering Israel to take part in the event.

Despite this resistance, this event showed the true meaning of reconciliation and a possible future of peace, where both sides were heard and expressed the importance of recognizing senseless deaths on both sides of the conflict.

You can watch the entire ceremony here.

Special thanks to David Grossman, who gave a powerful speech and donated half of his Israel Prize funds to the Parents Circle.