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This day I interviewed two of the founding members of Combatants for Peace (C4P) - Bassam Aramin and Elik Elhanin - former Israeli and Palestinian fighters who no longer see each other as enemies, who advocate together for an end to the Israeli occupation, and who seek justice and reconciliation through dialogue. I was also joined by Donna Baranski-Walker - Executive Director of the Rebuilding Alliance.

The nature of this particular tour is quite specific: ON JANUARY16, 2007 Bassam's daughter, Abir, was struck in the back of the head with a rubber bullet by Israeli border police. Abir was seriously wounded and died 3 days later.

The current C4P tour is sponsored by The Rebuilding Alliance, a non-profit organization that rebuilds homes and communities in regions of war and occupation, as well as advocating for government policies in these regions based on human rights and international law The Rebuilding Alliance is the organization responsible for founding Abir’s Garden - a project designed to memorialize Abir and to provide a safe place for her classmates and community to gather, play and heal.

To quote Bassam: “I'm not going to lose my common sense,my direction, only because I've lost my heart, my child. My daughter was my life.  But I continue my struggle for all children, Palestinian and Israeli. They are all our children.”

Prior to speaking with Bassam and Elik, I spoke with Mazin Qumsiyeh to get an update on the Crisis in Gaza. Mazin has joined us in the past to discuss the history of the Land of Canaan and the previous clamp down on Gaza, as well as his work with "The Wheels of Justice" tour.

I was also joined by Gene Baur - the Director of Farm Sanctuary to get an update on the legislation approved by the FDA to allow cloned animals into the food chain, the ramifications of this on animal welfare, the environment, and human health.