Two years ago I had the pleasure of meeting two members, one Israeli the other Palestinian, each former fighters of Combatants for Peace. Two men who had thrown aside their differences for the greater good. Today there is a great story at the International Herald Tribune about this group and the unique perspective of one grieving Palestinian.
Even as Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian, mourns his 10- year-old daughter, killed last week during a clash between stone-throwing Palestinian youths and the Israeli police, he says he wants to talk to Israelis about making peace.
It has been a long journey for Aramin, 38, a former fighter. He spent seven years in Israeli jails, from 1986 to 1993, for weapons possession and belonging to the Fatah movement, which was then banned.
But his views gradually changed, and for the past two years, he has been an active member of Combatants for Peace, a group of former Palestinian militants and former Israeli soldiers who have teamed up to urge reconciliation to both sides.
This is a heartbreaking story but uplifting also… in the end we can all hope to be this strong.
Peace
