Amity in the Middle East: How the World Sports Peace Project and the Passion for Football brought together Arab and Jewish Youngsters

The World Sports Project brought together Israeli and Arab youngsters and adults from towns in Israel, staff and students from four English universities, Premier League clubs, the British Embassy and the British Council in Israel, the Israel Sports Authority, and runners in the Flora London Marathon. It became a pointer to more creative ways for community relations in divided societies. Amity in the Middle East is for those wanting to read about Arab and Jewish youngsters playing football together; for those interested in conflict prevention and peace-making; and for those wanting to run such a project in other political climes. Over three years, a successful Football/Conflict Prevention Project took place on an annual basis, close to Nazareth. Those who took part will be able to tell their children and grandchildren of the time when Jews, Arab-Christians, and Arab-Muslims played in mixed teams against mixed teams. Their team could only win when they learned to work together, when trust and confidence in each other overrode political antagonisms. With such a model, the future of peoples in other strife-torn communities could move forward to hope, and not backward to despair.Ë?