AT A time when the news from the Middle East is almost universally terrible, a glimmer of hope comes in the news that the Parents Circle-Families Forum (PCFF) has been nominated for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize. For the past three decades, the PCFF has worked to turn the narrative of entrenched hatred between Palestinians and Israelis on its head. The organisation has about 850 members — drawn from both communities — all of whom have lost an immediate family member as a result of the conflict, and all of whom are committed to transforming their experience of loss through dialogue and mutual understanding.
The PCFF was founded in 1995 by one bereaved father, Yitzhak Frankenthal, and a group of Israeli families, who set up the first joint meetings with bereaved Palestinian families, first in Gaza, and later in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. By telling their personal stories of loss, members have the chance to recognise the humanity of those on the other side of the divide. These encounters represent a radical attempt to break the cycle of fear, violence, and dehumanisation which is the daily lived reality of so many in Israel/Palestine. The PCFF’s vision is to break the cycle of revenge and, instead, to build a future in which both nations live side by side in freedom, dignity, and security.
Such encounters — undoubtedly hugely costly to the individuals involved — are transformative at a personal level. Just as importantly, the PCFF is committed to a programme of educational outreach to schools, with the aim of fostering empathy, critical thinking, and emotional openness, and quite consciously laying the groundwork for the end of the occupation. Members speak publicly in pairs, one Palestinian, one Israeli. It is hard to exaggerate the effect of hearing the accounts of friendships that have emerged out of shared grief. The organisation also works internationally, by means of speaking engagements and the media: last November, the UK Friends of PCFF welcomed four members (two from each side) to tell their stories to audiences in Britain.
It seems that not even the horrors of 7 October 2023 have knocked the PCFF off course. A statement on the website says: “The lives of everyone connected to Israel and Palestine will never be the same since October 7th 2023. With tens of thousands of lives cut short, families torn apart, children traumatized, now more than ever we need to continue to show up for one another to mourn and remember.”
Nomination for a Nobel Peace Prize does not, of course, mean that the PCFF will win. This is, none the less, welcome news, offering, as it does, recognition of this extraordinary initiative and a chance to publicise its results. As the nomination states, “In a time marked by war, distrust, and despair, the Parents Circle-Families Forum offers a rare spark of hope for the future.” Above all, the nomination is a reminder that forgiveness is more powerful than the most powerful weapon.