As director of International Relations for The Parents Circle-Families Forum, which has offices in Beit Jala on the West Bank and in Israel, Damelin has traveled to the US twice, as well as London and Italy, since the war in Gaza began.

Today, we speak with families who are striving for peace and reconciliation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Despite facing personal hardships, they hold onto hope for positive change on both sides.

Colum McCann’s novel ‘Apeirogon,’ about the extraordinary friendship between bereaved Israeli and Palestinian fathers, is now out in Hebrew. The author isn’t sure if this is a case of bad timing or exactly the right moment for his book to be read by Israelis

As negotiators discuss a possible cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, the Parents Circle Family Forum, a nonprofit organization made of Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in previous conflicts, sees reconciliation as the only way forward once hostilities cease. Keith Lane has more.

About two dozen students, faculty and staff gather in Newcomb Hall Tuesday to hear from a Palestinian father and an Israeli mother who have both lost loved ones to violence in the Middle East. They are part of a group urging dialogue as a path to peace.

Parents Circle-Families Forum, Taghyeer, and Standing Together are explicitly working to create the political will to end the occupation and create a way for the Palestinians and the Israelis to live together in dignity and equality.