The Parents Circle – Families Forum bids a warm farewell to Co-Directors, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin. Rami has served as the Israeli Co-Director of the organization since 2016. Bassam has served as Palestinian Co-Director since last year. Both helped lead the organization through the difficulties faced in the wake of the loss of USAID … Continue reading Welcome to our new Israeli and Palestinian Co-Directors!
Annexation will lead to more violence and bereavement. The Parents Circle’s members have paid the highest price and have committed to stop the cycle of bereavement.
Within the Eye of the Storm: Film Discussion with Rami Elhanan, Bassam Aramin, and Shelley Hermon Monday, July 13, 2020 View film here: English subtitles ترجمة عربية / כתוביות בעברית Discussion participants Shelley Hermon Director Bassam Aramin Bereaved Palestinian father Parents Circle member Film subject Rami Elhanan Bereaved Israeli father Parents Circle member Film subject … Continue reading Within the Eye of the Storm Film Discussion
Two murders this week. Different cultures and different worlds. And yet the pain generated by both unites us all. The murders of African-American, George Floyd and Palestinian, Iyad el-Hallak, while thousands of miles away from each other, are the result of the same societal sickness: dehumanization. The bereaved members of the Parents Circle know this sickness … Continue reading The most powerful weapon against hate
Layla is Palestinian. Robi is Israeli. They are both mothers. Both have lost a child to the conflict in Israel and Palestine, but both have made the unique choice to seek peace and reconciliation, rather than revenge and hatred. Speakers: Layla Alsheikh Bereaved Palestinian mother Parents Circle – Families Forum Layla lives in Bethlehem in … Continue reading Our Tears Are the Same: Webinar with Layla Alsheikh and Robi Damelin
The Program on Negotiation and the Middle East Negotiation Initiative are pleased to present: A PON Film Series Event: Lessons from Reconciliation Processes for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict We invite you to view in your home the award-winning documentary film One Day After Peace and then join us for a virtual panel discussion. Wednesday, May 20, … Continue reading One Day After Peace Film Panel
by Shiri Ourian Executive DirectorAmerican Friends of the Parents Circle Fighting dangerous pathogens that rip through societies is not new to joint Israeli-Palestinian organizations like the Parents Circle-Families Forum and Combatants for Peace. Fear, hatred, and dehumanization, like viruses, are invisible. They are often asymptomatic in many and lead to senseless fatalities in others. COVID-19 and fear, … Continue reading The Forward: Israelis and Palestinians mourn our losses together on Yom Hazikaron
Last night, the Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle held the largest joint Israeli and Palestinian peace event in history. Over 200,000 people joined from all over the world to show that war is not inevitable and that the pain is the same on both sides.
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.
