Grieving Parents Want Peace Between Israel and Palestinians

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: What do you make of this?

ROBI DAMELIN, THE PARENTS CIRCLE – FAMILIES FORUM: It’s so heartbreaking, because it’s a cycle of violence that leads absolutely nowhere. So, there will be a cease-fire in a couple of days. And we have destroyed so many buildings in Gaza, and children in Sderot wetting their beds at the age of 10. And mothers in Gaza have nowhere to run to a shelter. And a mother in Sderot might have 15 seconds to get to her shelter, when she has three children and one in a wheelchair. Who should she choose? So, what is this all for? What is this going to bring? We have to recognize that the cycle of violence must stop at some point. I know that when the soldiers came to tell me that David had been killed, he was in the reserves. The first thing I said is, you may not kill anybody in the name of my child. And if I can do anything on this wonderful program of yours, it’s to ask mothers, keep your children inside tomorrow morning at the funerals. Don’t let them go out and throw stones. They don’t understand what they leave behind. They don’t understand the pain that is caused by their loss. And they think they’re invincible. And so I’m sitting here in my safe room in Jaffa. And I’m looking around me. And I realize there will be a cease-fire. But I also realize that we are faced with a huge problem now internally, which can’t be solved by cease-fire. It has to be solved by a completely different method, by a different way of working with children and educating, by giving hope to young men. Because if you look at who is involved in all of this clash that’s going on inside of Israel, it’s young kids aged 16 to 20. And it’s the secular children…

AMANPOUR: Right.

DAMELIN: … who feel that they are allowed to do whatever they like, and not get punished. And so this is so…

AMANPOUR: Well, then let me ask…

(CROSSTALK)

DAMELIN: … so heartbreaking.

AMANPOUR: Yes. I’m going to get back to you in a second. But I want to ask Bassam as well, because, as you said, you’re in Jaffa, the port city in Israel. Bassam, you’re in Jericho, much closer to the Jordan River on the occupied West Bank. You have seen this spread. You have also lost a child, just as Robi’s child, during the height of the last round of conflict. What — I mean, can you see, as a peace activist, a way back to some kind of political discussions?

BASSAM ARAMIN, THE PARENTS CIRCLE – FAMILIES FORUM: Just first, I want to say, for one hour, we lost — like, my neighbor, he’s 23 years old, in the juncture of Jericho. He come back from his car as curiosity, a few seconds.