For the sake of my dead daughters, I will never cease striving for peaceIzzeldin Abuelaish
The Observer
Sunday 24 April 2011I always feel great joy every time I deliver a baby. To hear that first cry gives me hope because a new person has been born, a new chance at life. There will be a fresh pair of eyes to see the world and, I hope, see it in a better way.
The world is filled with conflict and the conflict does not seem to end. In the delivery room, the conflict of painful labour comes to an end as a mother delivers a baby and holds him or her in her arms. The cause of her pain is handed to her and she views the baby as a gift.
As I continue to follow news about ongoing tensions between Palestinians and Israelis in Jerusalem and Gaza, I am reminded all the more of the children caught within this conflict. Having worked in Palestine and Israel, I know there is no difference between Israeli parents and Palestinian parents. Both instinctively protect their child. But in times of conflict, both must learn to understand this need about one another.
Some view my lawsuit against the state of Israel sceptically. For two years, I have waited patiently and worked tirelessly to get Israel to admit responsibility for the killing of my daughters, aged 20, 15 and 14, coupled with an apology. Instead of hope, I was presented with denial and attempts to justify their killings.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/apr/24/israel-gaza-children-peacemakers