Bassam Aramin and Zohar Shapira, the co-founders of Combatants for Peace, talk about their mission to end the cycle of violence in Israel and Palestine by bringing together individuals who previously fought against each other. Currently around 450 Palestinians and Israelis are members of the group.
Bassam Aramin, and Zohar Shapira - both former Combatants themselves, have put aside hate to embrace peace.
Bassam Aramin, A former member of the Palestinian Fatah movement, began a seven-year sentence in an Israeli prison at age 17. He now works as a clerk at the Palestinian National Archives.
Zohar Shapira served as combatant and commander in an elite unit of the Israeli army for 15 years. He now is a teacher in a Waldorf school in Israel.
The 'Combatants for Peace' movement was started jointly by Palestinians and Israelis, who have taken an active part in the cycle of violence; Israelis as soldiers in the Israeli army, and Palestinians as part of the violent struggle for Palestinian freedom. After brandishing weapons for so many years, and having seen one another only through weapon sights, they have decided to put down their guns, and to fight for peace.
