Around 400 Israeli and Palestinian children gather to play in the opening game of a soccer event hosted by former president Shimon Peres and the staff of The Peres Center for Peace. The kids line up against a team of ambassadors from several countries and against a squad of all-star Israeli players, conveying a message of peace and tolerance.
“The ball belongs to everyone. Today I see you as ambassadors of peace. I call on FIFA to use this crisis to promote peace and not to deepen the rift. A day will come in which there will be an end to the battlefields and a flowering of the football field. You, the participants, are a symbol of peace and hope for the future,” Peres tells the children and the participating teams ahead of the first match.
Shimon Peres with the Peace Ambassadors team (photo credit: the Peres Center for Peace)
At the event, the chairman of the Israeli Football Association, Ofer Eini, also calls on Palestinian officials to help advance peace by encouraging joint Arab-Jewish soccer games.
“I encourage the head of the Palestinian Association, Jibril Rajoub, to join us in action to bring the peoples together. Let’s talk, let’s play football,” he says.
The event is supported by Coca-Cola, Adidas, the Israeli Football Association and numerous other organizations.
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From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, May 13, 2015
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