Palestinian and Israeli children pitching for peace at the World Cup

Players celebrate during FIFA Foundation Festival Tournament in front of the iconic St Basil's Cathedral

MOSCOW: Playing football surrounded by brick walls and bureaucracy might not sound so unique for a group of Palestinian and Israeli youths forced to overcome barriers on a daily basis.
Yet for the past week, the likes of 16-year-old Janna Al-Khatib from Jericho and 16-year-old Daniella Povchar from Be’er Sheva have been revelling in their surroundings. 
Here in Moscow, in the center of the city’s famous Red Square and flanked by the high-walls of the Kremlin and the stunning St. Basil’s Cathedral, a makeshift football pitch has been erected as part of the quadrennial FIFA Foundation Festival, formerly known as Football for Hope.
The week-long event brought together underprivileged young people from 51 non-governmental organizations from some of the world’s most dangerous conflict zones — including Iraq, Haiti, Sierra Leone, and Pakistan — to learn about other cultures and, of course, play the “beautiful game.” 
The Peres Center for Peace organized for two Israelis and two Palestinians to come to Russia. 
“It was way more than we could have ever expected,” said Lior Shalom, the peace education programs manager at the Peres Center.
“It is so unique for us to have this attention. For them to build an actual pitch in the middle of Red Square and for people to come out and watch, all focused on football for good. It was a very proud moment to see it all come together.”
The tournament followed a concept called football3, which is not only divided into three periods, but also has no referees. Mixed-gender teams decide the rules before the games start and then reconvene at the final whistle to reflect on their behavior. Points are awarded not only for goals, but also fair play.
Al-Khatib, Povchar and 15-year-old Asad Abusalman from Jericho all reached the final, playing alongside other participants from Ireland, South Africa and the Philippines. While meeting people from all over the world will never be forgotten, the most important aspect was creating a lasting bond with each other, their neighbors, said Al-Khatib.
“Before coming here, whenever I searched for Moscow online, it would always be Red Square that would come up, so to play football there was unbelievable,” she said in Arabic.
“To share this experience together — boys and girls, Israelis and Palestinians — is super important. We want to project that image to the world; to show that we can live in peace.
“For me, everyone has been like a family to me this week and it was so important to see that even when someone knows where you are from and your background they still show you support and encouragement and cheer for you when you are playing. I have found everyone so warm.”
The sight of Palestinians and Israelis laughing and playing together, representing the two flags and speaking both Arabic and Hebrew, attracted curious looks from youths from other countries. Shalom, however, explained that such a reaction was expected among the eight-person delegation and only served to stress the potential for a positive impact.
“The situation in Palestine and Israel is a scary topic for kids from around the world who don’t know what it’s like there,” said Shalom, who has worked at the Peres Center since 2015. “So when they see us being one united team, it’s so simple and straightforward. We are together, we are united and we are proving that football can create a different reality.”
Tomer Shoham is 18 and from Srigim, Jerusalem. If the objective is, as Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s head of sustainability and diversity, said, “to drive positive change”, then Shoham is the perfect example. He said this week’s events have forced him to look at some of his beliefs and change his mindset.
“It’s changed me, 100 percent it has,” he said.
“I knew a lot about the situation and the Arab side of things, but I’d never spoken to a Palestinian, not as a friend. I love it. We are traveling here together and it’s difficult with the language, but you find a way to communicate and we have a lot more in common than we thought.”
Shoham added he hopes to keep in contact with his new friends and may even now to try to visit them. 
“It is difficult to meet them, but not impossible,” he said.
“If they come to more events through the Peres Center, for example, or maybe I can visit Jericho. With the likes of WhatsApp and other social media it makes it easier too, so I really hope we keep in touch.”