Parents call for peace: Israelis and Palestinians unite over common grief

After years of dispute Israelis and Palestinians seem to have no middle ground, but those who paid the highest possible price for the conflict have found a way to dialogue. Parents and relatives of those who died in the violence urge peace.

The Parents Circle is a grassroots organization bringing together Israelis and Palestinians who lost their loved ones in the long lasting conflict.They meet on a regular basis to talk with one another and show that reconciliation is possible.“It’s meaningful for me that Palestinians will hear about my brother. My brother was a soldier in the army and they can empathize with my story and understand the pain that I went through,” said Ayelette Harel, an Israeli woman, who lost her brother who was a soldier.“From the time I was born I was part of this conflict. For me an Israeli was a soldier or a settler or an agent of the security services,” explained Ahmed el Jafari, a Palestinian who lost two family members in the conflict and yet found his way to the Parents Circle.But the Parent’s Circle is a minority voice. The number of Israelis and Palestinians participating in dialogue has hit a low ebb as many complain they see no point in reconciliation attempts while the peace process is at a stalemate.For more on the story watch Paula Slier`s report.