'I am a Zionist,' says Ronny's colleague Aaron Barnea. 'I believe in the state of Israel with a Jewish majority. But I also believe the killing has to stop.' photo: Christian Aid / Ramani Leathard
'We have overcome feelings of revenge and are willing to cross the line and hold hands,'

Parents' Circle, one of Christian Aid's newest partners, is a network of bereaved Israelis and Palestinians who have lost children and loved ones to the conflict.

Through dialogue and mutual understanding, they aim towards reconciliation and peace. 'If we, who have paid the highest price, can sit in a room and talk', says chairperson Ronny Hirshenson, 'then surely politicians should, can and must be able to.'

Flanked by the Israeli and Palestinian flags, Ronny Hirshenson sits in his office – a prefabricated hut in the leafy grounds of a Tel Aviv hospital.

The room gently buzzes with a single computer screen and a noisy air conditioning unit – modest surroundings for an organisation breaking new ground in Israel.

'We realised the power of bereavement in this country could be used as a tool for transformation', he explains.

At the core of Parents’ Circle is the belief that, by encouraging citizens of both societies to talk, they can increase awareness of the suffering on both sides and reduce hatred.

‘I am a Zionist,’ says Ronny’s colleague Aaron Barnea. ‘I believe in the state of Israel with a Jewish majority. But I also believe the killing has to stop.’

Overcoming the past

Ronny's eldest son Amir was killed by a suicide bomb in 1995, while he was serving in the Israeli army.

Five years later, at the start of the second intifada, his younger son Elad lost his best friend in a suicide attack, and subsequently took his own life to escape the pain of losing both his brother and his best friend.

'I could only give sense to my life if I was loyal to the memory of my sons', says Ronny. His grief is palpable, but so is his strength.

Ronny now has a Palestinian counterpart in the West Bank, Khaled Abu Awad, who focuses on education.

Together they arrange meetings and seminars for Israelis and Palestinians who share the experience of having lost close relatives in the violence. They also arrange talks in schools, targeting teenagers about to enter the army.

Signs of success

One of Parents’ Circle’s big successes has been Hello Shalom/Hello Salaam, a phoneline that connects Israeli and Palestinian callers.

Callers dial a four-digit number, identify themselves as Israeli or Palestinian, and then a computer automatically connects them to someone on the ‘other side’ who has expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with their perceived enemy.

Since October 2002, more than 230,000 people have talked to each other via Hello Shalom.

There’s some shouting and cursing at first, admits Ronny, but Parents’ Circle believes this is the first step in changing perceptions.

'We have overcome feelings of revenge and are willing to cross the line and hold hands,' says Ronny. 'It's the only way. We don't have the privilege of giving up hope.