Postcard from... Tel Aviv

As a young Palestinian woman in a shimmering dress and headscarf finished reading her speech and smiled towards the crowds in front of her in Tel Aviv, the audience of more than 3,200 people – the vast majority of them Israelis – found themselves fighting back tears as they applauded in support.

Though sorrow is commonplace during Israel’s memorial day – marked yesterday – which traditionally commemorates slain Israeli soldiers and victims of terror, this was no ordinary remembrance ceremony.

This alternative ceremony commemorated both Palestinian and Israeli victims of the ongoing conflict, organised by Combatants for Peace and Parents Circle, a grassroots non-governmental organisation made up of bereaved families on both sides. Established a decade ago, this year drew a record number of participants, as Israelis and Palestinians took to the stage to share their grief and plead for peace.

Bassam Aramin, a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, lost his 10-year-old daughter Abir in 2007. “Revenge is the lazy way”, he says. “We must share this land – as one state or two states – otherwise we will share it as two big graves for our kids and our families.”