This year marks the 20^th Joint Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Ceremony, held annually on the eve of Israel’s Memorial Day. Organized by Combatants for Peace and the Parents Circle – Families Forum, the ceremony brings together bereaved Israeli and Palestinian families who have lost loved ones to mourn together — and to call for an end to bloodshed, war, and occupation.

What began as a small, contentious gathering in 2006 has grown into one of the most important and largest grassroots joint peace initiatives. Yet over the years, the event has faced growing resistance. Israeli authorities have routinely blocked West Bank participants from attending (including last year), and the ceremony has long been targeted by Israeli groups who reject any form of shared grief. This year, right-wing protesters broke into a synagogue in the Israeli city of Ra’anana that was hosting a screening of the memorial, throwing stones and setting off fireworks.

At the same time, some pro-Palestinian voices have also criticized the event, arguing that it draws a false equivalence between the occupier and the occupied, and obscures the fundamental asymmetry of the conflict.

In 2025, the challenges facing the organizers and participants of the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony are more daunting than ever. In the wake of October 7 and Israel’s ongoing assault on Gaza, the space for shared mourning has all but collapsed. The families taking the stage, some of whom have lost relatives in recent months, face enormous personal and political pressure: they are choosing to speak publicly even as calls for vengeance and dehumanization dominate the mainstream.

This year, organizers opted not to disclose the location of the main event held inside Israel in order to avoid harassment by right-wing activists. A parallel ceremony was held in Beit Jala in the West Bank to accommodate Palestinian attendees, and the event was broadcast live at dozens of locations across Israel.

Below are a few excerpts from the speeches that were delivered on stage this evening.

“Despite the separation wall and the checkpoints that seek to divide us, we are here, on the same land, in the same country,” said Sayel Jabareen, an activist with Combatants for Peace. “As Palestinians, we watch this ceremony with hearts heavy from pain and wounds. Pain is not new to us; it is an old companion, inhabiting our homes and our dreams. But we are here today to affirm that our humanity allows us to recognize the pain of others without turning away from our own suffering.

“We live in extraordinary times. For more than a year and a half, we’ve been living through a war that threatens annihilation and shows no mercy,” he continued. “Still, we hold on to our shared struggle, because we have no other path. We don’t forget those we’ve lost, and we do not ignore the ongoing injustice. But we open a window of hope toward a future built not on blood, but on justice, dignity, and freedom for all.”

Mousa Hetawi, a West Bank resident who witnessed his cousin being shot dead by an Israeli soldier, and lost dozens of family members in Israeli bombardment in Gaza, said: “I’m 38 years old, and my life has been filled with loss and pain under the shadow of occupation. My family is scattered between the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem, inside Israel, and the diaspora, like most Palestinian families.

“Despite all the pain, we haven’t lost the ability to dream,” he added. “Even amid destruction, life is born again. This war has taken our loved ones, but not our will to live. We weep, but we do not lose our humanity. We believe this darkness, no matter how long it lasts, will eventually be lifted.”

Mousa Hetawi speaks at the joint Memorial Day ceremony via video conference, April 29, 2025. (Gili Getz)

Hetawi continued: “I refuse to let pain be the only legacy we pass on to our children. We’ve paid a terrible price in the blood of our loved ones, and we will not allow this cycle of bloodshed to continue. Occupation is the true root of this tragedy, and its end is the only path to justice and peace — so that our two peoples may live with dignity and security.”

F., a Palestinian woman originally from Gaza who now lives in the West Bank, lost her mother when she was killed in an Israeli attack in Gaza. Her speech was read on stage by peace activist Amani Hamdan: “I am Palestinian, a daughter of this land, still living under the weight of pain and injustice. But I refuse to let this story define my destiny.

“Out of all the disasters and violence I’ve endured, a belief was born within me, that my future can look different. I’ve decided to dedicate myself to the work of peace. I joined Combatants for Peace to take part in the joint path of nonviolent resistance to occupation and injustice, and to strive for a better world — despite the pain.

“With all of this pain and unbearable loss, I am here with you today to say: Our lives are not only sad stories. They are also stories of unbreakable resilience, and of hope rising from the rubble. Let us remember that each day is a chance for a new beginning, and that we are capable of building a better tomorrow.”

Liel Fishbein speaks at the joint Memorial Day ceremony, April 29, 2025. (Oren Ziv)

Liel Fishbein, a survivor of the October 7 attack in Kibbutz Be’eri and brother of Tchelet Fishbein, who was killed that day along with her partner, told the crowd: “What brought me here today is a very basic understanding: This pain does not distinguish between us, and no one is born with hate.

“I’m 27 years old, and in the reality I grew up in, I’m sorry to say, I don’t know my Arab neighbors,” he added. “I don’t speak their language. I don’t know their customs or their history. But I know, with absolute certainty, that when they lose their loved ones, they hurt just like I do.

“I believe that only by coming closer, by connecting, talking, and accepting each other, can we begin to see one another as human beings,” he continued. “I don’t know what we’ll encounter along the way or where it will lead us. I know it will be challenging. But I’m ready to live with that uncertainty and act from a different place, to create a reality of trust, friendship, and true peace.”

Liat Atzili, who was taken hostage from Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 and lost her husband Aviv Atzili that day, also spoke in the ceremony. “On October 7, my world fell apart. The anchors of my life were ripped away, one after the other,” she said.

“I’m a teacher, but more than that, I’m a lifelong student. Intellect is my survival mechanism, my tool for seeking truth and understanding the world. I find truth and comfort in the words of Rabbi Daniel Epstein, from the film ‘The Absent God,’ about the philosophy of Emmanuel Levinas: ‘Just as I do not mold the other according to my will, I will not change them either. But maybe by changing my point of view, I can draw out the good that must already exist within them, because they are human, like me.’”

+972 Magazine