Israeli, Palestinian kids come together for soccer

Shalom: Tournament will teach Israelis, Jordanians and Palestinians to be better neighbors in the future.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Soccer tournament 370 (photo credit: Courtesy Mifalot)
Soccer tournament 370
(photo credit: Courtesy Mifalot)
After a week of unrest in Gaza and the West Bank, where there have recently been rocket attacks and violent protests, Israeli, Palestinian and Jordanian children will come together on Friday to take part in a "meet your neighbor" soccer tournament run by the "Mifalot" peace organization.
The tournament will kick off at 10am at the Wolfson soccer stadium situated in Holon and will feature youth aged 12-13 from Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian areas.
Regional Cooperation Minister Silvan Shalom released the following statement in support of the tournament, "soccer is a unifying branch, bridge and connecter." He added that the "wonderful" project has only winners.
The "Mifalot" organization was founded in 1997 and one of their main goals as expressed on the official website is, "promoting peace and coexistence by creating bonds of friendship between Israelis, Palestinians and Jordanians."
During the event, there will be an award ceremony in which Shalom, European Union Delegation leader Andrew Stanley, and "Mifalot" director Dr. Meir Ornshtein will take part.