In this episode, host Senada Sokollu speaks with Palestinian peace activist and author Aziz Abu Sarah.

Raised in East Jerusalem as the youngest of seven children in a religious Muslim family, Aziz’s life was shaped early on by the realities of conflict. At just ten years old, he lost his brother after he was tortured in Israeli detention—an experience that left him with deep anger, grief, and a desire for revenge.

But instead of staying in that place, Aziz chose a different path.

In this conversation, he speaks openly about what that shift required: the long journey from anger to agency, why forgiveness is not about the other side but about reclaiming control, and how trauma—both personal and generational—lives in the body.

Aziz is also the co-author of The Future Is Peace: A Shared Journey Across the Holy Land, written together with Israeli peace activist Maoz Inon, who lost both of his parents on October 7. The two have since become close collaborators in peacebuilding, meeting global leaders—including Pope Francis, who was the first to call them “brothers”—and carrying a shared message to audiences around the world.

This episode is not about easy answers or idealistic hope. It’s about what peace actually costs. What it asks of you—emotionally, politically, and personally. And what it means to choose it anyway.