Israeli Maoz Inon and Palestinian Aziz Abu Sarah, who attended the “Arena of Peace” event in the northern Italian city of Verona in May 2024, where they received the personal embrace and the support of Pope Francis, speak of their shared vision of peace.
Our statesmen often resemble children squabbling so fiercely over a resource that they destroy it. There is another way
صوت النساء – إسرائيليات وفلسطينيات من أجل التغييريتشرف منتدى العائلات الثكلى الإسرائيلي الفلسطيني بدعوتكم للقاء بمناسبة يوم المرأة العالمي: 6.3 الخميس الساعة 20:00 عبر زووم خلود – أم ثكلى، من أعضاء منتدى العائلات الثكلى معيان ينون – بنت فاقدة، من أعضاء منتدى العائلات الثكلىعالية مليحات – صحفية فلسطينية وناشطة في حقوق الإنسان والسلامميكما ألموغ – ناشطة … Continue reading [WEBINAR] Her Voice, Our Future
קול הנשים – ישראליות ופלסטיניות למען שינויפורום המשפחות השכולות הישראלי-פלסטיני מזמין למפגש בסימן יום האישה הבינלאומי: יום חמישי 6.3 20:00 זום חולוד – אם שכולה, חברת הפורוםמעין ינון – בת שכולה, חברת הפורוםעליה מילחאת – עיתונאית פלסטינית ופעילת זכויות אדם ושלום מיקה אלמוג – פעילת שלום ומנהלת התוכן של קואליציית השלום הגיע הזמןהיילי גלגוט – עו”ד … Continue reading [WEBINAR] Her Voice, Our Future
Webinar recording available Her Voice, Our Future International Women’s Day Webinar March 6, 2025 Join us for a special International Women’s Day webinar with Israeli, Palestinian, and international women changemakers. Kholoud – bereaved Palestinian mother, PCFF memberMaayan Inon – bereaved Israeli daughter, PCFF memberAliya Milhat – Palestinian journalist and human rights and peace activistMika Almog – … Continue reading [WEBINAR] Her Voice, Our Future
The 2024 Seán MacBride Peace Prize honors the selfless efforts and dedication of organizations and individuals who promote healing, restoration, and human rights while embodying the principles of peace amidst diversity.
Judea Reform Congregation, the main Reform synagogue in the Durham-Chapel Hill area, hosted two peace activists on Sunday from the Parents Circle – Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization of families who have lost loved ones in the decades of violence.
Over the past year, we’ve seen increased military presence and settler violence throughout the West Bank. Many Palestinians who worked in Israel lost their jobs, and food prices have soared. More checkpoints have gone up throughout the West Bank, seriously limiting mobility. With a deteriorating economy, we want to ensure that peacemaking families can sustain … Continue reading Ramadan Solidarity: Supporting Bereaved Palestinian Peace Makers
International governments are key funders of human rights organisations in Israel. The Israeli government is trying to stymie their influence.
When Robi Damelin received the knock on the door that every parent dreads, her reaction was not what you might expect. Instead of calling for revenge and justice, she demanded that nobody be hurt or killed as a response to her son’s tragic death.
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.
