'We share the same pain': An Israeli and a Palestinian come together to promote reconciliation

<p>The event was hosted by&nbsp;Parents Circle Families Forum, which works to create conversation between Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in the conflict.&nbsp;</p>

The event was hosted by Parents Circle Families Forum, which works to create conversation between Israelis and Palestinians who have lost loved ones in the conflict. 

Robi Damelin, an Israeli, and Mazen Faraj, a Palestinian, seem to be on opposing sides—their respective countries have been in conflict since the mid-20th century.

But they have one important thing in common. Both lost loved ones due to the ongoing dispute. 

They spoke Tuesday night about loss during an event hosted by the Parents Circle Families Forum, a joint Israeli-Palestinian non-governmental organization that works to foster conversation between Israelis and Palestinians whose loved ones have been killed in the conflict and create a framework for the reconciliation process. The event was sponsored by J Street U Duke, a student movement that advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

“We share the same pain,” Damelin said to Faraj.

Damelin and Faraj—who lost a son and father respectively—emphasized that the first step toward resolving the conflict between Israel and Palestine is understanding the each other’s perspective.

“The narrative of a person creates an emotional breakthrough,” Damelin said, referencing the power of sharing stories across the border.

Faraj noted that both sides needed to “discover the humanity in [their] enemy” in order for peace to be possible. Damelin also said that “recognition of the humanity of the other” will be a “good step” toward ending the conflict.

However, starting these conversations between Israelis and Palestinians is only the beginning of a much longer reconciliation process that will take time, Damelin explained.

“You cannot be impatient with reconciliation," she said. "It is a long and arduous pathway. There is no such thing as instant reconciliation."

Both speakers said that the next step in starting a dialogue is for each group to forfeit their victimhood. Faraj noted that it is “easy to compare who’s suffered more,” but much harder to admit to one’s own role in the cycle of suffering.

If people admit they are not victims, then there exists a way to go forward, Damelin added.

“If you are a victim, you will never be free. You will never act," she said.

At the end of the discussion, Damelin and Faraj urged students to take action in their own way against the conflict. They suggested that students host open conversations about these issues in order to understand the perspectives of Jews, Muslims and Christians alike.

First-year Sammy Garland said that hearing the stories of Damelin and Faraj at the forum encouraged her to get more involved with J Street U Duke.

“It’s totally different to look across the world and look behind the headlines of the latest number of people killed, and look and see that [Israelis and Palestinians] have their stories too,” she said.

First-year Morghan Cyr—J Street U Duke vice president of external affairs—noted that her organization will try to continue this conversation started by the Parents Circle for the rest of the semester.

“[We are trying] to promote peace and overall a dialogue between people involved in the conflict and people not involved because Americans, whether they know it or not, are very tied to Israel and the Palestinian conflict," Cyr said.

Discussion

Share and discuss “'We share the same pain': An Israeli and a Palestinian come together to promote reconciliation ” on social media.