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STAND UP FOR PEACE 2

PEACE PRE SCHOOL RECEIVES CHILDREN OF PEACE GRANT

SEVEN NEW TRUSTEES JOIN CHILDREN OF PEACE BOARD

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: AGM  JUNE 26th 2010

MAHMOUD JABARI WRITES ABOUT HOPE & OF PEACE

TWO NEW GROUPS JOIN US - THE STEERING CENTRE FOR DEMOCRACY (BETHLEHEM) & BETHELEHEM STAR CHARITABLE SOCIETY

EVENTS COMMITTEE NEWS

CROSSING QALANDIYA LAUNCH IS GREAT SUCCESS

ABRAHAM FUND, NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR THE CHILD AND WESAL RECEIVE OUR LATEST GRANTS

YASMIN LEVY - GOODWILL AMBASSADOR HOLDS INSPIRATIONAL WORKSHOP

EVENTS COMMITTEE - RICHARD CLIFFORD TELLS US ABOUT THEIR WORK

WE APPOINT A FUNDRAISER

STEINER SCHOOLS JOIN US

CROSSING QALANDIYA - WRITERS DONATE TO US

OUR WINTER APPEAL 2009-10 SCHOOLS AID  GIVING CHILDREN A CHANCE

SCHOOL BAGS FOR GAZA

ZOE HELLER & YOTAM SOLOMAN: NEW FRIENDS OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

JOIN OUR GROWING FACEBOOK GROUP

SIR DEREK JACOBI BECOMES PATRON OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

SHIRAA ORGANISATION JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE

AFFILIATE FOCUS: THE JEZREEL VALLEY MUSIC CENTER

CORK STREET CONTEMPORARY ART OPEN PRIVATE VIEW IS GREAT SUCCESS

TRUSTEES AGREE MAJOR CHANGE FOR CHILDREN

LOOK OUT FOR OUR FACEBOOK FAN PAGE

MUSICIANS FOR PEACE TEAM UP WITH US

CORK STREET OPEN EXHIBITION - ARTISTS SHOW UP FOR
CHILDREN OF PEACE

THREE GROUPS RECEIVE OUR SMALL INTERNATIONAL GRANT

ISLA BLAIR, SIMON CALLOW, JULIAN GLOVER AND JANINE MARTIN
JOIN AS FRIENDS

NEW AFFILIATE -
MAOF SCHOOL, ISRAEL

OUR 10K LONDON RUNNERS
EXCEED PERSONAL BEST

67 WEST BANK CHILDREN BENEFIT FROM THE 2008 WINTER APPEAL

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE -
A GREAT SUCCESS

UNIVERSITIES AND STUDENT GROUPS SUPPORT CHILDREN OF PEACE

EXHIBITION AT LUDLOW

PALESTINIAN AMBASSADOR GIVES US
FULL SUPPORT AND JOINS AS FRIEND

 

MATT LUCAS, PHILIP GLENISTER & AMELIA QUINLAN - NEW FRIENDS

 

SAHAR SHALALLDA AND DEJITSU WASSI - RECEIVE THE ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS' EDUCATIONAL BURSARY

 

STAND UP FOR PEACE - A BRILLIANT EVENING - A FUNDRAISING TRIUMPH!

 

NEW AFFILIATE - THE PEACE PRE-SCHOOL AT THE YMCA, JERUSALEM

 

ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE - JUNE 2009 - IS A SELL-OUT SUCCESS

 

10K LONDON RUN - SUPPORT OUR TEAM

 

CORK STREET - CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW TO RAISE FUNDS THIS AUGUST

 

THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES CHOOSES US FOR NEW WEBSITE

 

COUNTESS OF CHICHESTER, SHEIKH MANASRAH, MANAL TIMRAZ JOIN US

 

STAND UP FOR PEACE: A NIGHT OF COMEDY ON 23RD MAY

 

OUR 2009 ABIR ARAMIN GIRLS' BURSARY FOR ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN GIRLS

 

WESAL - GAZA SCHOOLS JOIN CHILDREN OF PEACE AS NEW AFFILIATE

 

AFFILIATE FOCUS: HAND IN HAND FOR ARAB-JEWISH EDUCATION

 

CORK STREET - CONTEMPORARY ART SHOW TO RAISE FUNDS THIS AUGUST

 

CHILDREN OF PEACE WINS FULL

SUPPORT FROM

THE PRESIDENT OF FRANCE

 

BRITISH ACTRESS SAMANTHA MORTON JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE AS A FRIEND

 

"ANGEL OF MOSTAR" SALLY BECKER BECOMES GOODWILL AMBASSADOR TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

 

KING’S ACADEMY, JORDAN TO BE KEY PARTNER OF CHILDREN OF PEACE

 

ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN RACING DRIVERS RACE FOR PEACE

 

HELPING THE CHILDREN - SAINT JOHN

OF JERUSALEM EYE HOSPITAL GROUP

 

AFFILIATE FOCUS – HANNAH WEITZER LOOKS AT THE WORK OF WINDOWS

CORINNE BAILEY RAE GIVES STRONG SUPPORT TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

JEWISH SIXTH FORMERS CHOOSE CHILDREN OF PEACE AS THEIR 2009 CHARITY

BORIS JOHNSON - THE MAYOR OF LONDON GIVES HIS SUPPORT FOR OUR WORK

CHILDREN OF PEACE SETS UP NEW FACEBOOK PAGE

AMERICAN DONORS CAN NOW GET TAX BREAKS IF YOU GIVE TO CHILDREN OF PEACE

2009 - THE UNITED NATIONS YEAR OF THE CHILD

GORDON BROWN SENDS PERSONAL MESSAGE OF SUPPORT

HELENA BONHAM CARTER
TIM BURTON
AND SOPHIE ELLIS BEXTOR
JOIN AS FRIENDS  

GOODWILL AMBASSADORS MANSOOR & VALERIE IJAZ ON
WHY THEY ENDORSE OUR WORK  

LATEST LONDON EVENT A SUCCESS

VICE-PRESIDENT
JOE BIDEN SUPPORTS
CHILDREN OF PEACE

DONATIONS TO FIVE REGIONAL PARTNERS

BURLESQUE DINNER GALA

INTERNATIONAL STAR YASMIN LEVY BECOMES GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

 HADASSAH UK JOINS US

THREE LEADING ACADEMICS
JOIN AS FRIENDS

TEAM CHILDREN OF PEACE TRIUMPH

GAZA AID SHIPMENT REACHES THE CHILDREN

AMERICAN SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN SUPPORTS US

HOUSE OF GRACE JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE

HEREFORD CREAM TEA DELIGHTS

10K TEAM RAISES MONEY FOR CHILDREN OF PEACE

ETI CASTRO AND SAMACH ZAHOUT

JEFF GOLDBLUM MEETS SIR DEREK JACOBI IN LONDON

FOUR NEW PREFERRED PARTNERS

CHILD BEGGARS IN ISRAEL

BASSAM ARAMIN BECOMES CHILDREN OF PEACE GOODWILL AMBASSADOR

DOMINIC MARTIN BECOMES SPORTS COORDINATOR - MADELEINE McGIVERN OUR VOLUNTEERS COORDINATOR

JULIA SAWALHA JOINS CHILDREN OF PEACE AS A FRIEND

MESSAGE FROM TONY BLAIR
March 2008

EMMA THOMPSON, GREG WISE, IMELDA STAUNTON AND JIM CARTER BECOME FRIENDS OF THE CHARITY March 2008

BRITISH ARTIST HOLDS CHARITY NIGHT March 2008

RICHARD CLIFFORD ELECTED TRUSTEE

ABIR ARAMIN 2008 SCHOLARSHIP

GAZA EMERGENCY APPEAL SENDS AID December 2007

HEREFORD FOOTBALL CLUB SUPPORT December 2007

SOCCER SCHOOLS UPDATE

STARS OF STAGE AND SCREEN ATTEND THE FIRST LONDON EVENT November 2007

OUR GAZA FRIENDS CALL ON CHILDREN OF PEACE TO HELP October 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE SUPPORTS ONEVOICE DAY OF PEACE
October 2007

MIDDLE EAST DELEGATION REPORTS TO DISTINGUISHED GUESTS April 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE SOCCER TEAM WIN WORLD CUP! March 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE DELELGATION MEETS 13 ISRAELI AND PALESTINIAN GROUPS March 2007

CHILDREN OF PEACE REMEMBERS ABIR ARAMIN January 2007

BIG LOTTERY FUND AWARDS FIRST INTERNATIONAL GRANT TO CHILDREN OF PEACE December 2006

CHILDREN OF PEACE ENJOYS A SUCCESSFUL LAUNCH Nov. 2006

PATRON:
MADONNA
DAME JUDI DENCH

ROYAL PATRON:
HH THE BEGUM
AGA KHAN

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Croque-en-Bouche

THE AMERICAN FUND FOR CHARITIES

Supporting Good Causes Worldwide

 

THE ARCHIVES

 

ABIR ARAMIN, WHO DIED TRAGICALLY ON

18th January 2007

 

If anyone symbolises the importance of peace and the protection of children - both Israeli and Palestinian - and the sheer futility of this endless Middle East tragedy - it is the pointless death of a beautiful little girl, much loved by her family - who simply went out to buy sweets and never came home.

 

Her father, Bassam Aramin is dedicated to peace building between Arabs and Jews. His organisation - al-Quds for Democracy and Dialogue is one of our Palestinian Partners. Here is his moving and inspirational statement...

"I fought with my daughter on the day she was shot.

 

On her way out the door to school, Abir announced, in that way children have of doing, that she would be playing with a friend that afternoon rather than coming straight home to study for an exam scheduled for the next day. She was 10 years old, smart, dedicated to her schoolwork and still a little girl.

 

She wanted to play. I told her to not even think about it.

 

If I could tell her anything now, it would be: Go. Do whatever you want. Play.

 

Because now, she never will. She will never laugh again, never hear her friends calling her name, never feel the love of her family wrapped around her at night like a warm blanket.

 

Abir, the third of my six children, was shot in the head as she left school January 16, caught in an altercation between Israel Border Guard troops and older kids who may or may not have been throwing rocks. She died two days later.

 

I know what the Israeli army has said about the incident, and I know what Abir’s older sister Arin saw with her own two eyes: Abir was running away from the troops when she suddenly stopped and fell, and blood splattered onto the ground. An independent autopsy confirms the most likely cause of death: a rubber bullet, through the back of Abir’s head. I have that bullet in my house, because poor Arin, watching her sister get shot, picked up the bullet and brought it home. I was not surprised when the Israeli army tried to blame Abir for her own death. First we were told that she was among the rock throwers; then we were told that “something"blew up in her hands — though her hands remained miraculously in tact— before she could toss it at the Border Guard jeep.

 

I was not surprised, but the anguish that such fabrications cause my wife and me is hard to express. Our baby was killed — must her name and innocence be desecrated, as well?

 

It would be easy, so easy, to hate. To seek revenge, find my own rifle, and kill three or four soldiers, in my daughter’s name. That’s the way Israelis and Palestinians have run things for a long time. Every dead child — and everyone is someone’s child — is another reason to keep killing.

 

I know. I used to be part of the cycle. I once spent seven years in an Israeli jail for helping to plan an armed attack against Israeli soldiers. At the time, I was disappointed that none of the soldiers was hurt.

 

But as I served out my sentence, I talked with many of my guards. I learned about the Jewish people’s history. I learned about the Holocaust.

 

And eventually I came to understand: On both sides, we have been made instruments of war. On both sides, there is pain, and grieving, and endless loss.

 

And the only way to make it stop is to stop it ourselves.

 

Many people came to support and comfort us as Abir lay dying, her small face chalk white, her eyes forever closed. Among those who never left my side were a number of men I have recently come to love as brothers, men who know my past, and who share it. Men who, like me, were trained to hate and to kill, but who now also believe that we must find a way to live with our former enemies.

 

Israeli men. Every one of them, a former combat soldier.

 

These men and I are members of Combatants for Peace. Each of us, 300 Palestinians and Israelis, was once on the front lines of the conflict. We shot, bombed, tortured and killed. We believed it was the only way to serve our people.

 

Now we know this not to be true. We know that to serve our people, we must fight not each other but the hatred between us. We must find a way to share this land each people holds in the depths of its soul, to build two states side by side. Only then will the mourning end.

 

I will not rest until the soldier responsible for my daughter’s death is put on trial, and made to face what he has done. I will see to it that the world does not forget my daughter, my lovely Abir.

 

But I will not seek vengeance. No, I will continue the work I have undertaken with my Israeli brothers. I will fight with all I have within me to see that Abir’s name, Abir’s blood, becomes the bridge that finally closes the gap between us, the bridge that allows Israelis and Palestinians to finally, inshallah, live in peace.

 

If I could tell my daughter anything, I would make her that promise. And I would tell her that I love her very, very much."