7.30pm at the Steiner Academy, Much Dewchurch: Sana Knaneh, current Development Director of the UK charity Friends of the Bereaved Families Forum will give a presentation about the charity’s work supporting bereaved families across the Palestinian/Israeli divide.
Today, more than 600 families from both sides of the divide, all of whom have lost family members in the conflict, have chosen to reach out to the other side and work together for peace and reconciliation. This work has been building since 1994 when The Parent’s Circle- Families Forum was first formed and the UK charity exists to raise funds to support them in their on-going work of raising public awareness in Israel and abroad and developing educational and advocacy projects that ‘foster dialogue and empathy towards both Israelis and Palestinians’.
This is important and very challenging work: those involved are seeking to transform the pain of their anger, grief and loss into a catalyst for peace, reconciliation and tolerance. In January, they faced the loss of their US aid which the Trump Administration decided to cut, putting at risk two key peace-building projects the success and importance of which Sana will explain. So, though there’s no charge for the presentation, please consider giving a generous donation.
Sana is a Palestinian citizen of Israel currently based in London. She holds an M.A. in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a Master’s degree in International Strategy and Diplomacy from the LSE. She’s a certified peace and conflict resolution facilitator and is also a researcher at the Mitvim – the Israeli Institute for Regional Foreign policies and focuses on the role of the Palestinian citizens of Israel in foreign affairs.
Contact David (Donaldson) daviddon@myphone.coop