Six years ago, in the winter of 2010, the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum awarded me the organization’s medal, presented each year to Israelis and Palestinians active in areas related to the organization’s objectives and goals. Over the course of my career in journalism, I have declined prizes from many groups and movements, but I could not turn down this particular organization, which this month celebrates 20 years of peace activism.
At the awards ceremony, held in Beit Jala, near Bethlehem, hundreds of bereaved families, Jewish and Palestinian, assembled and met each other. They talked about possible ways to bring their two peoples together and end the conflict between them.