Israeli, Palestinian youngsters cultivate friendship in soccer field

With an aim to foster dialogue and interaction between the young generations of the two neighbors, this project "emphasizes fair play, teamwork, friendship, nonviolence and mutual respect," said Gran Levy, a representative from the Peres Center for Peace.

The first busload of players came from the West Bank city of Jericho. They woke up early in the morning in order that they could get to the checkpoint early enough and arrive at Kiryat Gat on time.

"It was very hard to get through the checkpoint this morning. We waited over an hour and a half before making a detour," said Sus, coach of the Jericho team. "But all the children are so excited to be here, not just to play football, but also to meet their Israeli friends who they played with in previous tournaments."

During the past year, Sus has developed a partnership with Ovad, coach of the team from the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, and the two teams were able to play in each other's city. On Thursday, their joint team claimed the title for their age level.

At the end of the busy day, all the players gathered in the field, clapping and cheering, as eight boys from a Palestinian refugee camp performed a traditional folk dance called Debka, and some renowned guests handed out footballs signed by big names.