CRS Speakers' Tour — BEHOLD Peace in the Holy Land

Mazen Faraj

Mazen Faraj is a 32-year-old married father of one child. In 1948 his father, at age six, fled his Palestinian village with his parents; they became refugees. Mazen and his siblings grew up in Daheisheh Refugee Camp, a neighborhood of apartment buildings in Bethlehem. Today, Mazen and his family continue to live in the same refugee camp. During the first Intifada, Mazen and his brothers, like many other youngsters, threw stones against the Israeli Army and were arrested several times. Mazen spent three years in an Israeli prison, which prevented him from taking his final high school exams. After the Oslo Accords, he participated with other Palestinians in activities promoting peace and coexistence.

Mazen Faraj, left, with Rami Elhanan. Photo by Laura Sheahen/CRS

In 2001, Mazen joined the Parents Circle/Families Forum after the death of his brother Amjaad, age 35. His brother spent five years in an Israeli prison and died from cancer shortly after his release, leaving a wife and three young children. In April 2002, during fighting between Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and Palestinian fighters at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Mazen's 62-year-old father Ali went out to buy food for the family. On the return home, as his father passed the church, an IDF soldier killed him, mistaking his bags of food for something else.

Mazen decided that seeking revenge would not ease his pain or bring back his father or brother. His tribute to his family members is to work to stop the cycle of violence and bloodshed. Mazen and another brother, Riad, joined the Families Forum in 2004, and are working for peace and reconciliation between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.