Today, I was invited by the U.S. Delegate to the United Nations to brief the UN Security Council. The meeting focused on the situation in Israel and Palestine, the escalation of violence and settlement expansion.

I spoke to their hearts. I told them how this conflict has affected me and the 600 bereaved Palestinian Israelis in the PCFF.

I stressed that peace is not possible without reconciliation. 

I invited them to come to Palestine and Israel and see the human cost of the conflict on the ground. 

I reminded them of the 68 children who were killed in the most recent war in Gaza. I asked them if any of them knew their names. 

I urged them not to take sides. 

I demanded that they maintain a sense of hope, and to never give up.  

The Parents Circle knows that people listen with their hearts. Even the U.N. Security Council.

In peace,

Robi Damelin
Bereaved Israeli mother
Parents Circle – Families Forum