by Mohammad al-BawPalestinian Community Relations ManagerParent Circle – Families Forum July 20, 2023 Yesterday, bereaved Israeli and Palestinian members of the Parents Circle – Families Forum made a support visit to the al-Hallaq family. The family’s only son, Eyad al-Hallaq, was killed 3 years ago by a member of the Israeli army in the Old … Continue reading We stand with the al-Hallaq family
Our two major youth programs — the Summer Camp and Dialogue Meetings in high schools — under serious threats. We know our future lies in the hands, hearts and minds of youth. That’s why all donations received in July will go towards supporting our youth programs. Watch the Knesset/Summer Camp video mashup and make your donation today. Even … Continue reading Dedicate July to Youth
https://youtu.be/MVjSe0dfII4Urgent Call to Action: Our Youth Summer Camp is under attack! Stand with us against threats from Israeli Knesset members. Help protect our young participants and staff. Donate now Help us protect the Parents Circle’s Dialogue Meeting program in Israeli schools and our Youth Summer Camp. Support peace and reconciliation – donate now to the Parents … Continue reading “I will blow it up” Israeli MK threatens our Youth Summer Camp
During my first days as Palestinian Director of the Parents Circle, I am deeply saddened and outraged by the escalating violence in recent weeks. I was born and raised in Bethlehem where I currently live with my husband and three children. I am particularly disturbed by the Israeli settler violence in the West Bank and … Continue reading My first day as Palestinian co-Director
Israeli and Palestinian youth attending the Parents Circle’s annual Youth Summer Camp This blog article is a translation of Yonatan Rabinowitz’s opinion editorial חבריי לא איבדו בני משפחה לסכסוך כדי שח”כים יתבריינו עליהם, published on Haaretz on June 19, 2023 My name is Yonatan Rabinowitz. I am an alumni of the Parents Circle – Families Forum’s … Continue reading “My friends did not lose family members to the conflict so that MKs would bully them” | Haaretz op-ed
Coalition Knesset members threatened on Monday to act against a youth village for renting its venue to host our annual summer camp for youth. Initially, the attacks were confined to social media and threats to withhold government funding if the camp proceeds. However, the situation escalated dramatically during the Knesset meeting yesterday.
Coalition Knesset members threatened on Monday to act against a youth village for renting its venue to host our annual summer camp for youth. Help us fight back against these threats:Donate now to our Emergency Fund campaign Our camp brings more than 50 Israeli and Palestinian youth together for a week of dialogue, learning, listening, … Continue reading ‘I will blow it up’
by Yuval Rahamim Israeli co-Director Parents Circle – Families Forum May 16, 2023 https://parentscirclefriends.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Yuval_speech_Knesset_Jan2023.mp4 When I addressed the Knesset’s Education Committee, I urged them that we must protect our children. “The State is against us. It is trying to keep us out of schools. And if it prevails, the courts will no longer be able … Continue reading Confronting the extreme right at the Knesset
Bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families at the Parents Circle know the price of the conflict too well and have paid the highest price.
We, who have lost our most beloved, condemn this recent cycle of violence on both sides and demand an immediate ceasefire.
No more lives should be lost to a needless conflict.
We’ve submitted our application to Israel’s Ministry of Education. Now, we wait to see if Israel’s right-wing government will allow us to continue holding our Dialogue Meeting program in Israeli high schools. While we wait, we are gearing up to fight back. Even before the Ministry’s decision, Israeli schools have become scared to bring the … Continue reading Our application is in, now we wait.
I am Kholoud Houshiya and I live in the village of Al Yamun near Jenin. Originally my family is from Haifa. I wasn’t able to experience childhood due to the occupation, which forcibly displaced my family to Jenin under oppression and humiliation.
Later, I married and I gave birth to my first child, whom I named Mohammed. I raised him with all my love and effort.
Mohammed was a young man who loved life dearly, and he loved me even more. He was both my son and my friend, thanks to our close bond.
Mohamad was 23 years old. He worked in Israel and helped his father.
On January 2, 2024 Mohamed took a picture of the Israeli army tearing down my neighbor’s house. The army thought otherwise and they shot him. Just because he was Palestinian.
I always dreamed of seeing my son as a groom, just like any mother. But now, I am left with him buried in my garden. I had hoped to see him, his wife, and his children in my house, but now, every day, I look at his grave from the window in my room.
My message to the world is this: Enough. Enough killing, enough injustice, enough destruction, enough oppression. Enough violence on both sides.
It is not easy for a mother to recount the story of her son’s death—the pain is indescribable. I cannot bear the loss of another child. This is why we must raise the voice of the mothers for a better future for all children and young generations – Palestinians and Israelis.
I am Hala Al-Bukhari, living in Jerusalem.
My daughter, my sister and her large family, children and grandchildren live in Gaza. Despite the distance, before the war, I used to communicate with them daily, checking on their health via video call.
On the morning of October 7th, my son told me to watch TV to see what was happening in southern Israel. From that day, fear has overwhelmed my heart.
Then came the morning of October 18th, bringing the harsh news: My sister’s house was bombed, and she, her husband, her children, and grandchildren were in the house—33 innocent lives lost in this horrific massacre. Since then, my fear for my daughter has grown. I have pleaded with human rights organizations, seeking any means to get her out of the hell of war and the horror of the massacres. Eventually we succeeded to get my daughter out of Gaza.
With every word I write, I struggle to express the extent of my pain. Our hearts bleed with grief for those we have lost and continue to lose. Our sorrow is profound, and our souls yearn for the peace we all dream of.
Let us all live in peace and build a better future for our children. War brings only destruction and ruin to everyone involved, whether Palestinian or Israeli. It is always the innocent people who suffer the most.
I am Liat Atzili from Kibbutz Nir Oz.
My partner, Aviv and I built a life and a family in Nir Oz. We were an inseparable part of this little community, which fulfilled our aspirations and needs. Mine as an educator, and Aviv’s as a farmer and an artist.
On October 7th, our kibbutz was attacked, conquered, and destroyed by Hamas. A quarter of the residents were either killed or kidnapped, including me. The time I spent as a hostage in Gaza was of complete despair, unending fear for my friends and family, and long days. I was nervous that I wouldn’t survive.
After 54 days in captivity, I was returned home. The following day, my family and I were told that Aviv was killed on October 7th. Aviv had hundreds of friends, he traveled and created, and made the most of every opportunity; he truly loved life.In his final year, Aviv fulfilled many dreams, the greatest being to share his art publicly. While managing the kibbutz’s agricultural garage, he painted on tractor parts and scrap metal, blending his love for metals and the Negev fields into his creations. Our children looked up to him and I feel like I had the greatest privilege to share my life with him.
I always believed that war is not our destiny, and that any conflict, including ours, can be solved. This war has proven to me beyond a doubt that we cannot continue fighting, that we have no right to impose the continued suffering of war on future generations on either side. I am ready today, more than ever, to do everything in my power so that our children can live here in peace and security.
I am Mazen from Bethlehem. Many of my family members live in Beit Lahiya, Gaza. They lived in a beautiful house and went on about their lives, despite the siege.
It all stopped on October 10, 2024, when, my uncle, his three sons, and his son-in-law were outside near the house. Israeli aircraft targeted them with bombardment and gunfire. My aunt managed to bring their bodies into the house. With trembling hands, she was forced to gather what remained of them, unable for over a week to lay her husband and three sons to rest.
I cannot believe that so many of my family are dead, and that I cannot go there to help them and cry with them.
The depth of pain in Gaza is beyond description and cannot be fathomed by the human mind. How much longer will this hatred on both sides continue? How much longer will we endure this nightmare? All the Palestinian people desire is a dignified life free from occupation—a fundamental right, just like that of any other people in the world.
The suffering will not cease until we collectively seek pathways to peace and understanding. Revenge will not forge a shared future; we must strive to find common ground and solidarity. Let us unite for a brighter future for the generations to come, and let us raise our voices for peace, so that together we may end this cycle of violence and finally live in safety and harmony.
