Coexistence and sport: the Israeli case. The effect of Mifalot soccer programs on the attitudes of Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli youth towards one another [Full text]
Yair Galily [1], Michael Leitner [2] and Pini Shimon [2]
| Abstract: Utilizing sports and other recreational activities to foster peaceful relations and coexistence is an idea that has gained popularity in recent years, particularly in Israel. The aim of the current research is to fill a gap in the research literature on the subject of coexistence programming. The Mifalot organization conducts a program called “Get to Know Your Neighbor” in which Palestinian, Jordanian, and Israeli youth play soccer together. The program, based mainly on the participants’ love for football, is a series of activities and lessons designed to prepare children to meet and interact with youth from neighboring communities. The study examines the effects of participation in this program on the attitudes of the Palestinians, Jordanians, and Israelis toward each other. Keywords: Coexistence, Israel, soccer, peace |
[1] Sammy Ofer School of Communications, Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) Herzliya and Zinman College at the Wingate Institute, Israel, ygalily@idc.ac.il
[2] California State University, Chico Department of Recreation, Hospitality and Parks Management and Ben Gurion University, Eilat Campus Department of Conflict Resolution, MLeitner@csuchico.edu
[3] Zinman College at the Wingate Institute, Israel, pshimon5@netvision.net.il