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Eight years ago today, Islamist terrorists attacked cafes, a stadium and a theatre in Paris, killing 130 people. One of those was Lola, the daughter of Georges Salines.

Seven attackers also died. One was Samy Amimour. In 2017, his father, Azdyne, contacted Georges to show him they were not a "family of terrorists."

Georges and Azdyne became friends and eventually wrote a book together in 2020. They say that the most important thing is forgiveness.

There are many examples of people on opposite sides of a conflict coming together to talk their differences out.

Forgiveness is a very important concept. "Hate cannot drive out hate," preached Martin Luther KingThe civil rights leader was shot dead in Tennessee in 1968. , "only love can do that."

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For over 30 years in Northern Ireland, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness were sworn enemies. In 2007, they agreed to share power and became good friends.

Israeli Rami Elhanan and Palestinian Bassam Aramin became friends through a shared grief. They both lost their daughters in the conflict but now call each other "brother".

In 2004, Israelis and Palestinians climbed a peak in Antarctica. They named it the Mountain of Israeli-Palestinian Friendship.

Georges Salines admits the friendship between two men is not enough: "Sometimes it feels like trying to empty the sea with a spoon." But maybe sometimes it is the small differences that matter most.

Yes! It is the only thing that can stop hatred. We need to learn to put our differences aside and focus on dialogue.

No! If it were that simple, we would not have any wars at all. A simple conversation cannot do anything to end a conflict.