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Paul Goldman / NBC News
Children shoot hoops in Jerusalem as part of the PeacePlayers International program.
By Paul Goldman, NBC News
JERUSALEM -- "Shlomi, throw me the ball."
"Assi, it's your turn, pass and dribble."
"Mahmud, great pass. What a basket."
This might sound like a normal basketball game but it's not. The unique endeavor can be best described as an "oasis of coexistence" in Israel where Jews, Muslims and Christians play not only on the same court but in mixed teams.
In 2001, American brothers Sean and Brendan Tuohey founded PeacePlayers International with the premise that children who play together can learn to live together.
It seemed quite obvious during my visit to practice that the Tuohey brothers were succeeding. Here on the court at the "Hand in Hand" bilingual school in Jerusalem, Israelis and Palestinians were laughing together, hugging each other and, most importantly, shooting the ball together.
"At first the kids and their parents were hesitant with some kids even crying," says Karen Doubilet, who is the PeacePlayers International's Middle East managing director. "But the transition is very fast, now they jump in joy and hug each other when they meet on and off the court."
'They are like me'
After experiencing so much hatred between Israelis and Palestinians, it was refreshing and exciting to see how naturally these kids reacted and played with each other.
Malak Ayub, 12, is a Muslim girl from the East Jerusalem village of Shoafat.
"Before I came to this program I thought Israelis only wanted to do bad things to us but now I see that they are like me, they want to play together," she said.
One of Malak's best friends is Hadas Prawer, a 14-year-old Israeli from the neighborhood of Mevaseret, which is located west of Jerusalem. I asked Hadas what she tells her friends when they hear she plays with Palestinians.
"I don't care what people think or say, I'm having fun and that's it," she said, before turning around and giving Malak a huge hug.
The traditional Hanukkah 'Sufganiyot' -- the Jewish ball-shaped doughnuts -- were waiting on the sidelines as a reward for the kids' hard work. All the children were wearing T-shirts with the US AID logo on the back, indicating the backing by the US.
"Basketball is huge, especially with the girls," Doubilet added. "Most of these kids don’t have a constructive framework and we give them this activity almost for free. The relationships here will no doubt shape the way Israelis and Palestinians think of each other in the future".
About 550 young people aged from six to 18 enrolled in this program in the past year, bridging communities in Israel like Jaffa, Tamra and Jerusalem where Jews and Muslims live next to each other.
Haled Sabah is a 20-year-old Palestinian from Shoafat. He joined the program seven years ago and is now one of its coaches.
"I see some racism on both sides but when kids play on the same team they just see each other simply as people," he said.
Leave a Comment:
nice story.
Nice story indeed.--------as good as worshiping together, same thing! and that is a
beginning
"Israelis are the chosen people and the Palestinians are an invented people". - Newt Gingrich
The youth of this world will lead us forward. Wonderful sight.
Newt Gingrich is another windbag with an agenda. If only we could get Netenyahu and the Palestinain leaders together on a basketball court.
It would really be someting if this grows, more sports added, and within a generation brings people together.... at least to the point of peacefull coexistence. Sometimes, the simplest answer is the best one; people are people. Kids playing together, learning to not fear bigotry most often fostered by parents.... this is doing more than than the UN or any other has. Go figure.....
Sports will always bring us together.
Peace is obtainable
This is good but probably going to be hard for the parents to grasp. It is well known that kids that play a sport together become friends. If the coach teaches sportsmanship they will even be friends of the players on the other team. After a couple of generations, who knows, maybe there will finally be peace in the middle east.
Nice story. Be nice to read more like this.
Peace in the middle east? Thru basketball? with baby steps its possible. How about taking the game to Afganastan? Iraq? Iran? Syria? Egypt? - And maybe if they let the girls play, their countries can move forward, into the 20th century - baby steps
Kate, I like your point about girls playing.
Girls playing an intense sport is a lift for their rights in the Palestinian population. Walking the streets without veils, talking with men as equals in business and friendship, loyalty to spouse and children never questioned. This will make the world more inclined to interact with all of them again.
Peace talks be damned, this is where peace is made.
The hatred on the Arab side is so deep, no small event like this will ever make a difference, at least not in the foreseeable future. The reason for the hate is the Arab propaganda machine's relentless reminders to the Arabs that the existence of Israel is the source of their humiliation and backwardness. The only way out of this never ending crises is for Israel to accept responsibility for the displaced Palestinian population and and everything it can resettle and compensate them with the help of the international community. In exchange, the Arab States must acknowledge and change their venomous attitude toward the Jewish people, and also admit their part in keeping generations of the Palestinian people in filthy refugee camps without rights or hope.
Puffie, resettlement and compensation by the Israelis after more than half-a-century of violence and terrorism at the hands of the Palestinians. Not only would I discourage that, I would also use metal detectors on those Arab basketballs......and detectors the soles of their sneakers (thanks to Richard Reid).
And hate wins! So let's all have more of it.
ixor???? are you showing signs of hope????
This is an AWESOME story. Celebrate it. I love it. Maybe there is hope for this generation. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Eid al Adha.
Pufris - what might have to be explored is a one-state solution - ALL residents of "Greater Israel" given citizenship rights. Then both groups would have to find a way to work together. I would note that looking at the picture you cannot tell who is Christian, Muslim or Jew. And we forget that a large fraction of the occupied people are Christian as well as many officials in the PA. I have spoken with Palestinian official Hanan Ashrawi - an American educated PhD Christian woman. (I doubt she could play very good basketball thoough!)
Only problem with that Ben is that the Arabs will eventually outnumber the Jews. Once that happens, chances are that the Israelis will be marginalized unless they install certain parameters so the Israelis maintain a sizable amount of control of the government, just like they did in Lebanon. Not trying to be racist, but that's the way things happen in the Middle East. Yasser Arafat himself remarked on how the only weapon in the Palestinians' arsenal is the "woman's womb." Same thing happened with the Coptic Christians in Egypt. It's either a Jewish state and an Arab state or an Arab state only.
But at least my generation is showing a ray of light in a sea of darkness. Happy Holidays from California!!!!!
LOL
I hope you have some rubber stamps with indelible ink so you can know for sure. Or maybe we should tattoo their left heel at birth.
They are the same people. Period. Doesn't matter what they say, which historian expert screams in hysteria at the very idea, how the earth gets carved up with imaginary lines that humans call borders or which faction got a boost from the UN/USA.
If the Muslim faction would accept that their prophet was a prophet and not God, they wouldn't even have any significant religious difference.
You cannot tell the players without a scorecard. They are the same people. It's all about real estate.
The kids saying "they're just like me" have it exactly right.
Patriot:
Go a little deeper.
Ever heard of haddith?
You are aware that Christians claim to believe in one god, and yet worship the father AND the son, and some worship the mother, as well. Islam is the same kind of mish-mash.
I know what Muslims CLAIM and I know what they do. They base their laws and customs much more on haddith, which is all about men making up stories about the prophet, than on the Qur'an.
Do I know any Muslims? I have lived in an Arab country as a native, I speak and read Arabic, and I have attended mosque many more times than I've been inside a Christian church. I know quite a few Muslims and I'm very familiar with Islam, both as it is claimed and as it is actually practiced.
So, if this initiative was created in 2001, why do we hear about it only 10 years later ???
Is that because Israel is losing more and more friends? No other choice in sight, but cave in and make peace?
lm, I think the program was started by the brothers in 2001. It doesn't say when the Israel/Palestinian program started. Last time, a west bank student band performed in Israel, the director was threatened with death and fired. Alas, the band was discontinued.
It's just more proof that US government has been pitting people against people
Must be the main objective in Washington DC
What proof? All the children were wearing T-shirts with the US AID logo on the back, indicating the backing by the US. It has nothing to do with governments so why do you have to bring your stupid views into this? Do you think that a Muslim government would support this? No, of course not, they support hate of Jews in their Media. Do you think any government would support anything like this other than the US or Israel?
Patriot, I can't speak for anyone else, but my hope is to have a Jewish State of Israel living in peace and reconcilitation with an Arab State of Palestine. You and WGN and Max and Human are supposed to be pro-Palestinian. You are not. You are just anti-Israel. That is why you can take a nice little story, and turn it into camel dung.
Yudl - do you also advocate that your Israel withdraw from Palestine in order to allow for the establishment of that second state? Netanyahu opposes that - and therein lies the problem. He demands that Israel maintain its occupation, settlements, the Jordan Valley, control of water. That makes the establishment of a viable Palestinian state impossible.
Ben, he has said many times that he advocates direct negotiations without preconditions leading to two states. If you are authorized to negotiate for the PA, why don't you call his bluff? I read the articles about Hamas, and I wonder why the Pally's are ok with preconditions, but Israel is not.
Patriot
The Israeli's gave back Gaza, gave back Sinai, and offered most of the West Bank. They didn't have to give back anything to states they defeated, states that don't recognize Israel, states that want nothing but the destruction of Israel. But they DID give back land, and for that they got what, the Intifada, the 2nd Intifada, universities, pizza parlors and cafes attacked, civilians targeted, 10,000 rockets launched at civilians.
You had a very interesting post above
You use the words "murdered" and "killed" incorrectly.
I would call it "murdered" when Israeli civilians are targeted like the Palestinians do. I would use "killed" when the IDF kills Palestinian civilians as part of a military operation targeting terrorists who hide among Palestinian civilians. There is a very big difference. Your numbers are accurate, but it is the intent that you miss. Blame the deaths of Palestinian civilians on the terrorists who target Israeli citizens and then hide among Palestinian civilians.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah.
Very True.. I applaud you Lar! Speaking of the truth confuses most people.
That is why it is essential that the old die-------it is the younger people who make change when given the chance---------we started intergration in this country with sports!!
Our Prophet said : when you hate and when you allow hate in your heart, know that s a sign of weakness
Weakness lead to poor judgment, mistreating others, even harming others because of you created hate in you.
there is nothing better to have faith and fulfill your heart with God s love, it make you million time a better person, you earn a special place in God's kingdom, even God proudly speak of you with his angels.
Imagine...
The problem with using religious teachings to solve political problems, is that for every peaceful and conciliatory passage you can quote, someone else will find an opposite passage where God - who ever he might be - tells his followers to kill their - and by extension his - enemies without mercy.
religion was meant to guide people in the right way, religion eqaul messages from Prophets God send to us / Miracles were performed to convince us enough to believe in religion.
Religion teaches us our purpose been on earth and the mission God put up on usI
I wouldnt call religion a problem, we make problems, we created politic not religion, we were born not to be perfect and we have different opinion by objecting, denying, accepting, welcoming etc....
The article states this isn't new..they had this program for years there..guess it doesn't help most but only those that use it.
I just wish the racism would end in all countrys such as the us and the rest of the world. There is racism in all races no matter where you live because theres people that teach there kids that crap and the kids will find out there dont have to be hatered because there parents think that
It would be so nice if the world at large inherited something positive from such endeavors?!
Thank you to all those responsible.... Very nice Christmas present to the world....
I was in Israel a couple of months back and felt safer in that country than in any liberal run city of the USA. I found peaceful coexistance between the Jews and Palisteans throughout the country in both the Israel proper and Arab controlled West Bank. In fact, most Israel Muslims would prefer to live in the Jewish state than in a Palestian run area of the country.
There is only this nasty and disgusting hatred of Jews in the Gaza and countries run by Islamist where there is state sponsored anti-semitism preached by the government and taught in the schools. It is sad, but they only hurt the Palestian's chance of self determination.
Dems,
Why do ignoramuses like you conflate criticism of or disagreement with Israeli policies as "anti-semitic?" Israel has defied with impunity UN Resolution 242 calling for a 2-state solution since 1967, and has simply grabbed one piece of land after another in the name of securing its borders. Israel has engaged in terrorism of its neighbors, the most recent example of which was its bombing of Beirut apartment houses, causing some 1400 dead, 1/4 of which were children under the age of 15 years and dropping millions of US-made cluster bombs in Southern Lebanon for anyone to pick up and be blown up for years to come, both of which constituted war crimes under the Geneva Conventions.
You've been propagandized your whole life to focus on Arab terrorists strapping bombs onto their chests and walking into Israeli pizza parlors and buses, thereby killing innocent civilians. But there's also been a lot of IDF airplanes, also made in the US, that have dropped much bigger bombs on larger civilian population centers of Arabs and Palestinians. One writer above correctly points out that for every Israeli who dies from terrorism, 10 or 11 Palestinians die from Israeli terrorism. That Israel releases its bombs on civilian populations from a higher altitude than Arab suicide bombers do is no moral distinction--both are committing terrorism by killing civilians. The Israeli argument that Arab civilians can be bombed if they serve as shields for Hezbollah or Hamas fighters is morally absurd.
Israeli terrorism is no less nasty and disgusting than the terrorism practiced by those who are occupied. Stop being duped by AIPAC and other Israel propaganda organizations.
No one is born hating another religous or ethnic group, it is a learned behaviour. Kids of all colors, nationality and religous background will play together and have fun. This is a great start as the kids will see each other as people and hopefully cary some understanding and compassion throughout their lives. However the challenges are still substantial, in their homes and society they are immersed in a different message and the negative reinforcement is a force unto itself. With positive reinforcement it will take several generations to undo the cultural "group-think". The society itself needs attention and then negative actions must cease because was the start of the whole problem.
It's a shame the adults can't play together like the kids. Let's make all the world leaders play basketball together once every week ... nothing else has worked.
A start is a start.
In the future, when kids from the two sides describe the games they will have to use frases like: " ..we had a great time playing together..", "they are just like us..", "I wish we can play another game..", ".. the boy in the white t-shirt had a very nice smile.." You know, things decribing the games in a very cheerful way, especially when talking about it with their parents or other close relatives.
One thing is for sure, the present situation is unsustainable. I think the younger generation will have a better chance to make a radical change for the good. The peope in power could change things now, but pride, relgious biases, and anachronic thinking will not let them allow positive change to occur.
Will hoops stop Israelis from building on stolen land?
Didn't stop the whites in America!LOL
Fresh, can you name one country that fought a war, won and was forced to give up the land they won? I can't... Personally I think that Israel will end up giving up the land to gain peace, but i doubt that it will be enough to ensure that Hezbollah and Hamas along with ton's of Muslims will allow peace to prosper and for the people both Israeli and Palestinian to co-exist.
But not for the reason you think. And if it's not the Muslims, it will be the Jews.
Their culture -- and note that I say culture, not cultures -- is based on it. From the beginning of time, they have raided each other as a way to move money around. Their economy has always been based on trading and raiding. It's just that the rules used to be much more civilized -- before the UN and USA decided to impose their rule upon the world.
Hopefully no Air Jordan's will be sold over there.
I like the Jewish people, but until they stop building settlements on occupied land, there will be very few stories like this one.
Robert, You mean there were more stories like this before 1967? I guess the Arab occupation of Jewish land is not a factor.
Yudl2,
So, by Jewish land, do you mean the Palestinian land that was given to Zionists by British colonialists as redress for the atrocities visited on European Jews by those Palestinians who lived in Germany before and during World War II? AIPAC propagandist.
There were no survivors.
You people...It's the Jews...no it's the Arabs...history history history...you're all contributing to the devastating cycle while claiming to try to stop it. The only people I have seen put any action behind their words of peace are these two brothers. How can anyone expect the people who have lived this murderous existence to start anew and leave all the historical hatred behind when outsiders looking in won't? Hypocrites!
There is hope for Peace if Obama will keep his mouth shut and stay out of it
Mr. Hubert,
Your anti-Obama rants that you share regardless of the topic at hand are not enlightening.