Activism

Israelis, Palestinians play football for hope

Jewish National Fund of South African hosts event in honor of Peace Team playing in FIFA social responsibility tournament

Ynetnews |Published: 07.15.10 , 08:27

At the same time as the amazing World Cup tournament was hosted with such incredible success throughout South Africa, FIFA also hosted the Football for Hope Festival 2010, during which 32 teams of young soccer players representing the power of the game for social change met on soccer fields in Alexander township.

Football for Hope is FIFA’s social responsibility arm that seeks to uplift areas of social challenge through the game. Most of the teams come from conflict areas around the world, and have in no small measure contributed to real and meaningful change in their own, and other, disadvantaged communities.

The most exciting part of this festival was the arrival of the “Peace Team”, a combined team of Israeli and Palestinian teenagers playing together under the auspices of the Jaffa-based Peres Center for Peace and the Ramallah-based Al-Quds for Democracy and Dialogue.

According to the organizers, the teenagers often play in Sderot, scene of many thousands of rockets fired at random from Gaza; and together, when the warning sirens sound, these youngsters from diverse cultures run for cover into the bomb shelter adjoining the soccer field.

Eight Israeli and Palestinian young men and women comprised this Team, all graduates of the Peres Center for Peace “Twinned Peace Sport Schools” program; and for all, it was their first visit to South Africa.

Eager to present this group to the community, the JNF, under the auspices of their new “One Tree One Goal” campaign, organized a most successful evening auction event to raise funds for the programme in Israel and the JNF’s Walter Sisulu Environmental Center in Mamelodi. Keynote speaker was former South African President and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, F.W. de Klerk, who addressed the capacity audience on South Africa, its past, present and future.

'Leaders of tomorrow'

It was a unique experience not only for the players but for the Jewish community, who were privileged to see in action the amazing camaraderie between young Israelis and Palestinians transcending factional conflicts and interacting and co-operating equally and independently.

Team trainers Israeli Tami Hay Sagiv and Palestinian Sulaiman Khatib described the problems they had confronted and solved in order to reach this point; and Sulaiman spoke of how, despite having spent 10 years in an Israeli prison, he was now totally committed to bringing young Israelis and Palestinians together in a sporting arena.

Thirty-two teams of young players came to South Africa: The only team privately hosted was the Peace Team, who were overwhelmed by community warmth and hospitality. This team showed clearly that Israelis and Palestinians can live, work and play together in harmony and friendship; that they can overcome the obstacles that so many politicians cannot; and that the prospects for a shared and amicable lifestyle for the benefit of both peoples are not unattainable.

The Peace Team participants are part of a group of some 1 500 youngsters who meet regularly under the umbrella of the Peres Center for Peace. "They are the future; they are the leaders of tomorrow; and they are the ones who we hope will pave the way to a peaceful solution in the Middle East," JNF said in a statement.