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.
On Monday, April 27 at 1:30 EST, we will co-host the largest peace event ever organized between Israelis and Palestinians: The Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony. Following the Ceremony, we are going to offer something that has never been done before – invite you to gatherings hosted by bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families in their homes.
My name is Mohammad Albaw. My brother, Firas, was killed in 2002 by an Israeli soldier at a checkpoint. Today, despite the pain of losing my dear brother and friend, I am a member of the Parents Circle – Families Forum. Last week we held our first Dialogue Meeting by Zoom. I facilitated the meeting … Continue reading Breaking Barriers Online
Produced and hosted jointly by: Recording now available The 15th Annual Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony https://youtu.be/4W7BXILC1S0 Monday, April 27th On this day, Israelis and Palestinians grieve together for the losses that all families have suffered. By acknowledging the pain of those living on the other side, we resolve to choose a new path of peace, … Continue reading The 2020 Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony
Friday, April 17th at 12:30 PM EST A discussion with Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin, bereaved Israeli and Palestinian fathers, Parents Circle Co-Directors, and the heroes of Colum McCann’s latest novel, Apeirogon. Colum joined us for Q&A. This is part two of our 2-part webinar series on Apeirogon. View the recording for the first part, … Continue reading Apeirogon Webinar Part 2: Discussion with Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin
Award-winning author Colum McCann’s anticipated new novel, Apeirogon, is based on the unlikely real-life friendship between two bereaved fathers born into opposite sides of an internecine conflict over land, religion, finite resources and competing narratives. Rami Elhanan, 70, an Israeli Jew from the western tip of Jerusalem, served in a tank repair unit of the … Continue reading United through grief, two fathers share their hope for peace in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict | Sight Magazine
by Robi Damelin Bereaved Israeli mother Parents Circle – Families Forum Dear friends, Sitting here after three weeks of lockdown, I have had a chance to ruminate and feel so grateful for your support and friendship. Without you, the struggle we have at the Parents Circle – Families Forum towards reconciliation and non-violence would not have been possible. … Continue reading Thoughts on COVID-19 and peacebuilding
Monday, April 6 at 12:30 PM EST A discussion with award-winning author, Colum McCann, about his latest, best-selling novel: Apeirogon. The novel shares the story of our very own heroes, bereaved fathers and Parents Circle Co-Directors, Rami Elhanan and Bassam Aramin who joined us for questions and answers. This is a two-part series. The next … Continue reading Webinar: Apeirogon Book Discussion with Colum McCann
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.
