Reconciliation Must be Part of The Peace Guests: Robi Damelin, Layla Alsheikh

In this episode, my guests were two women from the Parents Circle who both lost their sons due to political conflict between Israel and Palestine. Robi Damelin is the Spokesperson and Director of International Relations at the Parents Circle Families Forum and Layla Alsheikh is a member of the Parents Circle Family Forum. The Parents Circle is comprised of more than 600 Palestinian and Israeli bereaved families who believe in non-violence and reconciliation. The episode begins with Robi reading a letter she wrote following the bombings in Gaza in August 2022. She closes the letter by saying ‘peace will not come from war’. Robi Damelin and Layla Alsheikh talk about the importance of reconciliation during conflict, seeing the other as human and developing empathy despite the ongoing occupation and warfare in their countries. Their dedication to wanting to save other people from pain and helping people achieve emotional breakthroughs through storytelling is inspiring.