David Grossman
David GrossmanEitan Elhadaz/TPS

Israeli author David Grossman, who will receive the Israel Prize in literature on Independence Day, on Tuesday evening spoke at the joint alternative memorial ceremony for Israelis and Palestinian Arabs in Tel Aviv.

Grossman is a bereaved father, having lost his son, Uri, during the Second Lebanon War in 2006.

In his remarks, Grossman referred to the roots of the Israeli-Palestinian Arab conflict and said, "The way to solve the enormous complexity of Israeli-Palestinian relations can be summed up in one short formula: If the Palestinians do not have a home, Israelis won’t have a home either.”

"I discovered that every time I am tempted to rage and hate, I immediately feel that I am losing contact with my son. I made my decision. And I believe that those who are here tonight also made the same decision,” he continued.

While the alternative memorial was going on, Jewish activists held a protest against it, during which Palestinian flags were burned.

In his speech, Grossman discussed the protest and said, "Please respect our way. This is our way of giving meaning to the deaths of our loved ones."

Grossman said he intends to donate half of the money from the Israel Prize to the Israeli-Palestinian Bereaved Families Forum and to the Eliflet organization for children of asylum seekers.