Blood Relations: Palestinian and Israeli Bereaved Families for Peace

Ali Abu Awwad and Niv Sarig "Blood Relations" effort

It is, as far as we know, a world precedent that bereaved families, victims from both sides, embark on a joint reconciliation mission while the conflict is still active.

News From The American Friends of the Parents Circle (Parents Circle is a Families Forum: Israeli and Palestinian Bereaved Families for Peace)

September 26, 2011

Dear Friends:

Israeli-Palestinian relations have been in the headlines lately and the members of The Parents Circle Families Forum have been working hard to promote a shared story--one of hope and reconciliation. We at the American Friends of the Parents Circle—Families Forum remain hopeful that an end to the bloodshed is possible, and we remain committed to our mission to raise visibility and support for the efforts of the Parents Circle to promote reconciliation. In many ways, today, the work of the organization is more important than ever!

On Sunday, September18th, the Parents Circle organized “Blood Relations” a large, public blood donation where Israelis and Palestinians donated blood together, side by side, as a testament to their belief in the power of reconciliation. The blood donations will be shared by Israeli hospitals through the Israeli Blood Bank, Magen David Adom and by the Al-Makassed Islamic Charitable Society Hospital for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.

The concept of blood relations was borne out of an initiative called the 'Impossible Brief', a global challenge launched by Saatchi & Saatchi Israel in 2010. Creative minds from all over the world presented ideas that would bring Israelis and Palestinians closer together. The winning idea inspired 'Blood Relations'. The members of the Parents Circle--Families Forum came together to bring this idea to reality. We invite you to be a part of the effort. You can make a virtual blood donation at Blood Relations dot org or GO here and you can support our work at Network for Good. Donations can be made online through Network for Good. American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum is a duly registered 501(c)(3) organization.

American Friends of PCFF
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New York, New York 10022
US


From The Parents Circle – Families Forum : Introduction

"Peace is possible when we allow ourselves to be vulnerable (…) the members of the Parents Circle have experienced this truth In the depths of their Suffering and loss. They have found that there Is more that unites us than Divides us, that we are All members of one family, the human family (…)" Desmond M. Tutu, Archbishop Emeritus ( Letter to The Parents Circle – Families Forum, April 2004 )

Consisting of several hundreds of bereaved families, half Palestinian and half Israeli, The Families Forum has played a crucial role since its inception in 1995, in spearheading a reconciliation process between Israelis and Palestinians. The Forum members have all lost immediate family members due to the violence in the region.

parentscircle.org