Joint Ceremonies

The Joint Memorial Ceremony, organized by Combatants for Peace and The Parents Circle Families Forum, is the largest Israeli-Palestinian jointly organized peace event in history. The Joint Memorial Ceremony provides a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand strong in demanding an end to the occupation and ongoing violence. The ceremony takes place every year on the eve of Yom Hazikaron (Israeli Memorial Day). In Israeli mainstream culture, the ceremonies that are most often held to honor this day serve to reinforce cultural narratives of pain, victimhood, and hopelessness. Our Joint Memorial transforms this narrative by bringing Palestinians to the Memorial alongside Israelis to mourn side by side and model another way forward.

The Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony commemorates the displacement and erasure of hundreds of Palestinian communities, which started in 1948 and continues to the present. Together, Palestinians and Israelis gather in Beit Jala to recall the pain and trauma of the Palestinian community in the year 1948 when more than 700,000 Palestinians became refugees as a result of being forcibly expelled from their homes, many of their villages and cities destroyed. The Joint Nakba Remembrance Ceremony expresses our belief that peace and reconciliation require a sincere and honest reckoning with history. Combatants for Peace understands that for Israelis and Palestinians to end the occupation and find a solution to the conflict, we must acknowledge the truth of history, listen earnestly to each other’s stories, and compassionately behold each other’s humanity.

Palestine and Israel have each established a national day of remembrance wherein they mourn the consequences of the ongoing violence. Historically, and culturally, both communities have elevated this day of national remembrance to one of sacred observance.

Israelis mourn on Yom Hazikaron (Memorial Day) and Palestinians on Nakba Day (Day of Catastrophe). In mourning together, we seek not to equate narratives, but rather transform despair and suffering into hope and build bridges of compassion. We remind ourselves and society that occupation, oppression, and violence are not inevitable. Our shared mourning is an expression of deep pain and grief for the tragic losses this conflict has wrought.

By bringing the “other side” to each other’s memorial or remembrance ceremony, we aim to hold fast to our shared humanity as we challenge the status quo and set the foundation for a new reality based on mutual respect, dignity, and equality.

By mourning together we begin to shift public opinion on a massive scale. Since the first Joint Memorial ceremony in 2006, the number of people who attend has grown tremendously. In 2022, 300,000 people participated in the live broadcast event. In 2023, over 15,000 Israelis and Palestinians attended the Joint Memorial Day Ceremony in person in Tel Aviv.

Through both ceremonies, we are building a grassroots movement of joint resistance and cross-border community building. We are letting go of victimhood and reclaiming our power as leaders and change-makers. Palestinians and Israelis together can end the occupation and forge a new future - one that is rooted in peace, freedom, and dignity for all.

If you would like to be an organizational or institutional sponsor of the 2025 joint ceremonies, please email office@afcfp.org.