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.