Monday, September 1, 2008

Kicking for Justice?

"About 160 Muslim, Jewish, Aboriginal and Christian youth from various schools... huddled together last Thursday for a chance to kick balls with the Israeli-Palestinian team, which is competing in the AFL International Cup this week. Vic Alhadeff, CEO of the Jewish Board of Deputies (NSWJBD), welcomed the youth to the Auskick Harmony Day clinic, a joint venture of the Australian Chapter of the Peres Centre, AFL NSW/ACT, Erebus International and the NSWJBD. 'We leveraged the presence of the Peace Team to promote a message of goodwill, harmony and acceptance of difference here in Sydney', he said. 'I watched the team train in Israel 6 months ago, and it is inspirational to see Muslim and Jewish young men overcome logistical and cultural barriers and work together as a unit. The symbolism is very powerful'." (Kicking for peace, Chantal Abitbol, The Australian Jewish News, 29/8/08)

Quite! But if Palestinians are good enough to play football with, why aren't the Palestinian refugees (and their descendants), ethnically cleansed by Israeli forces in 1948, good enough to return to Israel as equal citizens? Wouldn't it be "inspirational" to see Israeli Jews and former Palestinian refugees "working together as a unit" as equal citizens of a secular, binational state of Palestine/Israel? Now there's an idea to kick around, Vic.

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