Mahouz Inan

I could see the path of peace and reconciliation.

And I realized that in order to heal myself,

and save myself from drowning in an ocean of sorrow and pain.

It's not a metaphor.

I was literally drowning in an ocean of sorrow and pain after receiving the horrible news that my boss' parents were burned alive.

And I made a decision that in order to heal myself, I must...

Take this path.

And a few hours after, I received a message from Aziz.

And I immediately realized that I'm not the only one on this path.

And now I can say I lost my parents and I lost many of my childhood friends and people I knew my entire life on October 7th.

But I also want Aziz.

I also want Aziz as a brother.

We have been trapped in a century-long conflict.

We are now the fourth generation that are traumatized, that are in pain, that suffer in loss.

And unfortunately, we are led by naive politicians that...

falsely lying to us that walls will bring us, will defend us, that war will bring security and bombs will bring quiet.

But this story proves again and again all the time throughout human civilization that it never works.

The only way to achieve security and safety is through dialogue, through negotiation, by building trust, by working together.

But there are many like us, Israelis and Palestinians.

And Aziz, 20 years ago, was the co-chairman of the Parent Circle Family Forum, a group of Palestinian Israelis, families that suffered