Mon Sep 23 21:07:10 UTC 2024: ## Bereaved Mothers Find Common Ground in the Pursuit of Peace

**Cambridge, MA** – Two mothers, one Israeli and one Palestinian, shared their stories of loss and reconciliation at Harvard Divinity School on Monday. Romi Damelin, whose son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper in 2002, and Laila Alsheikh, whose six-month-old son Qusay died after being denied access to a hospital by Israeli soldiers in 2002, spoke at an event titled “Our Shared Humanity: Israeli and Palestinian Voices Against Violence.”

Damelin, a lifelong peace activist, joined the Parents Circle-Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian organization for families who have lost loved ones in the conflict, after her son’s death. Alsheikh, who initially vowed never to associate with Israelis, was persuaded to attend a Parents Circle meeting in Bethlehem, where she witnessed Israeli and Palestinian mothers hugging each other, prompting her to reconsider her stance.

Both mothers emphasized that their shared pain transcended political divides. “We share the same tears, even if we had different circumstances, but we’re still human, and there’s nothing worse than losing a child,” Alsheikh said.

Damelin and Alsheikh shared personal accounts of their journeys towards reconciliation, including Damelin’s decision to write a letter to the family of her son’s killer, and Alsheikh’s encounter with an Israeli soldier who, after sharing his own story of being denied access to a hospital for his sick child, became a peace activist.

The mothers stressed the importance of productive dialogue and urged the audience to avoid partisanship. “Please don’t [be] pro-Israel, and please don’t [be] pro-Palestine: [be] pro-peace,” Alsheikh said. “If you fight all the time, that will never help us in any way. But if you [are] pro-peace, that will help us much more than you think.”

Damelin highlighted the need for support for peacebuilding organizations on the ground, urging students to directly contribute to peace efforts in the region.

The event served as a stark reminder of the devastating impact of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the urgent need for dialogue and reconciliation.

Read More