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“Peace - it's a kind of dream
That holds only good things,
An easy life with no complications.
Because peace means
there are no enemies,
and you're not appalled
all over again, each time
another awful attack happens.”
Recently as the road map was once again laid out on the negotiating table, advocates of incessant atrocities continue to sabotage this effort by exploding suicide bombs and beleaguering civilians with military strikes. Despite the gloomy prospect of reconciliation, these families are keeping a stiff upper lip in facing the claim of the majority that they are being too idealistic and, at times, perfidious.
“We are not a political organization. We support the road map but we cannot take part in it. All we can do is to raise public awareness that although our organization is now composed of more than 500 bereaved families [from Israel and Palestine], we can and will be together in this cause,” Frankenthal replied as I asked him if they are sending representatives to the negotiating table. They will strive to prevent more people, especially children, from dying because many of their fellowmen are blinded by the anger in their hearts toward those at the other side of the fence.
I saw a number of spectators weeping as they listen to the words of peace, hope and mercy voiced by the speakers of the bereaved families. I myself could not stop tears from rolling down my face as I shook hands with the speakers. Before they bade us goodbye, I looked up at the goddess of mercy and wished that the bereaved families could reach out to their people and show them how forgiveness and compassion can change hatred into new hopes of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, young and old alike.
The mother of Bat-chen Shahak, a fifteen-year old girl from Israel also spoke about how her daughter was taken from her on the day of her 15th birthday. “It was painful but all I can do now is to do what my daughter would have wanted me to do. I found her diary, and in it she wrote poems about peace and life. I didn’t even know she kept a diary,” she explained. Today, the diary has been translated from Hebrew into Arabic, Dutch, English, and a few other languages. Before she left, I asked her if I could have a copy of her daughter’s diary and she gave me one. She said it would be great if I could share what the diary is about to my friends. Here is a sample of a poem about peace written by Bat-chen:
“Peace - it's a kind of dream
That holds only good things,
An easy life with no complications.
Because peace means
there are no enemies,
and you're not appalled
all over again, each time
another awful attack happens.”
Recently as the road map was once again laid out on the negotiating table, advocates of incessant atrocities continue to sabotage this effort by exploding suicide bombs and beleaguering civilians with military strikes. Despite the gloomy prospect of reconciliation, these families are keeping a stiff upper lip in facing the claim of the majority that they are being too idealistic and, at times, perfidious.
“We are not a political organization. We support the road map but we cannot take part in it. All we can do is to raise public awareness that although our organization is now composed of more than 500 bereaved families [from Israel and Palestine], we can and will be together in this cause,” Frankenthal replied as I asked him if they are sending representatives to the negotiating table. They will strive to prevent more people, especially children, from dying because many of their fellowmen are blinded by the anger in their hearts toward those at the other side of the fence.
I saw a number of spectators weeping as they listen to the words of peace, hope and mercy voiced by the speakers of the bereaved families. I myself could not stop tears from rolling down my face as I shook hands with the speakers. Before they bade us goodbye, I looked up at the goddess of mercy and wished that the bereaved families could reach out to their people and show them how forgiveness and compassion can change hatred into new hopes of peace and security for Israelis and Palestinians, young and old alike.
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Hussein Macarambon
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