Vineyards, gourmet restaurants, dairy farms and lots and lots of nature… The Galilee is one of the most fascinating areas in Israel. Going there feels sometimes like time has not ruined its natural beauty and that its inhabitants want to keep it that way. Even Israelis who are always eager to go abroad come to the Galilee for a quick getaway from life’s daily stress.
The Peace Tour has bought to Israel one of the most popular soccer teams in the world and thanks to the Peres Peace Centre they are here to promote peace and understanding between Israeli and Palestinian youngsters who get the unique opportunity to learn some tricks of the trade from Messi and his teammates at FC Barcelona.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
The Peace Tour has bought to Israel one of the popular soccer teams in the world and thanks to the Peres Peace Centre they are here to promote peace and understanding between Israeli and Palestinian youngsters who get the unique opportunity to learn some tricks of the trade from Messi and his teammates at FC Barcelona.
It is almost hard to grasp how one football club could bring so much joy to two people that they almost forget they are actually sworn enemies.
The tour started with the Barca team travelling to Jerusalem where they got to see and touch the holy sites for the Jews and Christians.
They then proceeded to a states-like reception at the Presidents Home surrounded by government officials, foreign diplomats and not to mention hundreds of fans waiting for them outside.
Israeli President, Shimon Peres:
Messi, Xavi, Iniesta you and the whole team can teach us and the Palestinians to play DzTikki-Takkadz, so we can score the goal we hope for, the goal of peace.
But before they got to the main event at Bloomfield stadium they stopped at Kfar Maccabiah where they met kids battling cancer from the Make a Wish Foundation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Palestinian soccer coach, Ahmed Roma, brought his team of teenagers from Jericho to what they have already proclaimed the happiest day of their life.
Ahmad Roma, Palestinian Soccer Coach from Jericho:
I’m very happy because I will get to see Messi and Xavi and all the team of Barcelona and I brought with me 25 children. The children told me “I am happy, I want to take a picture of Messi and Xavidz. This day is very important because not just Arab-Israelis, Jewish and Palestinians, all people want to see one thing and one thing only.
We asked some of the audience members why they thought the team from Barcelona came to Israel.
Hagai Levi, Israeli audience member:
I feel good, I’m excited that Barcelona is coming here.
Niv Avraham, Israeli audience member:
Messi and Neymar they are the best soccer players in the world and they do something that nobody ever did and I love them, they give the game something that I’d never seen. They want to bring peace to the Middle East, something that both the Israelis and the Palestinians want and make a bond between us that we’ll live in peace here, because that’s what we want and that’s what they want I hope.
Ori Aahroni, Israeli audience member:
Everybody together so we’ll make peace.
Liron Dahan-Elkabetz, Israeli audience member:
We dance for peace, that means that everyone is equal.
Ethiopian-Israeli singer, Cabra Casay, who resides in Paris came to see for her own eyes the miracle of Barcelona.
Cabra Casay, Ethiopian-Israeli Singer:
The purpose of this is extremely important, I think that the kids is the future and if you really want to make a change, it’s for these kids I think, so we’re going to see something pretty amazing today and I’m excited to see the Barcelona group, I love them. I can just feel the energy from where I am just now and then it was time for the main event for which the audience at the stadium waited for almost three hours.
And then it was time for the main event for which the audience at the stadium waited for almost three-hours.
Israeli President, Shimon Peres:
You are messengers of peace, you who put light to our children.
Ido Sharir, the CEO of the Peres Centre for Peace claims it all comes down to a vision of one man they all follow blindly.
Ido Sharir, CEO, Peres Centre for Peace:
The Peres Centre for Peace was established 17 years ago by President Peres actually to try and produce events like these; to promote peace, to promote and to try and change the mindsets of people all over the world, and to understand that peace is feasible, doable and to focus on children and ages of change from all over the region to try and influence and promote peace in a whole. Here, today with us we have Arab Israelis, Jews and of course Palestinians that came from the West Bank to join us in this mission of peace. Barcelona is going an amazing, amazing tribute to peace, to the people of the region, to the kids of Israel, Palestine actually trying to promote the message, to bring the people together under the same language, the language of sports, but when the President asks something we all follow.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
And so for almost 14,000 young Israelis and Palestinians this is going to go down as the happiest day in their life when they met Leo Messi, the greatest soccer player of our time.
For JN1 I am Ron Jacobsohn at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel-Aviv.
The ten-days of European Soccer euphoria that has taken Israel by storm is coming to a close with final match between Italy and Spain at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
The 10-days of European Soccer euphoria that has taken Israel by storm is coming to a close with final match between Italy and Spain at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.
Starting the final day, UEFA president, Michel Platini, and Vice President, Giancarlo Abete, held a press conference talking about the huge success of the tournament thanking the Israeli organizers and withholding any negative comments from some members of the press who tried to get out of them a reaction about the Palestinian protest about holding the tournament in Israel.
Giancarlo Abete, UEFA Vice President:
The task of UEFA is to make sure the football is played everywhere, the children can play football, that youngsters can play football weather its in Israel or in Palestine or in Italy or in Spain or wherever. Football has to be beyond any other, other political reflection and we have to bring joy to everywhere in the world.
Narration
The Minister for Culture and Sports, Limor Livnat, was applauding UEFA for not giving in to the pressure about not having the tournament in Israel
Limor Livnat, Israeli Minister for Culture and Sports
People sometimes think that in Israel people are going and shooting in the streets and that’s the State of Israel but it’s not true. We are celebrating, we live here , we love our country, its a beautiful country. We need to thank UEFA and the President of UEFA, Michel Platini, for bringing this Euro-Under-21 to Israel and we proved that we did as much as we can and deliver.
At Teddy Stadium around 32000 people gathered to watch the ultimate feast of European soccer played on Israeli soil as they came from near and very far.
Yair Levy (Lehavim):
I came here with forty of my friends from Lehavim, which is near to Beer Sheva, and it took us two-hours. I like football and I am a fan of Spain. I love to see beautiful goals and you know…
Alon Tawill (Mexico):
From Mexico, I leave Sunday, Sunday night and arrived here at four in the morning today. I love soccer very much.
Following the match we caught up with the tournaments MVP, Spain’s Thiago Alcantara, the man who single handedly brought the victory for his team, who had only good things to say about his Israeli experience.
Thiago Alcantara, Spanish National Team
it was amazing, the people here have taken care of us so well and we enjoyed it so much. I will come in the future on holidays here. We are here in Israel to play football to win this kind of trophies and we are so glad to win it.
Michal Grundland, who was responsible for all the publicity during the tournament on behalf of the Israeli Football Association felt bitter-sweet about the end.
Michal Grundland, Israeli Football Association:
The Israeli fans showed the world that they love football and I am just hoping for them to stay our stadiums for local matches. It was a successful tournament, we are really happy to show the nice Israel all over the world. We can smile, we can breathe and we can maybe can get some rest.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
So incumbent winner, Spain, won again this time the 2013 U-21 European Championship for 4th time in its history and Israel is winding down from the illuminated atmosphere of hosting the tournament, now all eyes are turning towards the Czech Republic who will host the next U-21 tournament in 2015.
For JN1 I am Ron Jacobsohn at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem
The small academic center in Rehovot baring the name of Shimon Peres was in the center stage of Israeli news as they hosted their gala evening with two presidents, Bill Clinton and Shimon Peres, talking to around 600 people in the audience comprising from Israelis of all walks of life.
There wasn’t a person in the audience who didn’t feel the mutual admiration that both men feel for each other and they didn’t hide it from anyone.
BTW after a public outcry in the Israeli media about President Clinton’s fee for his 45-minute keynote speech which reportedly was a half a million dollars, Clinton decided to give up his fee and ask that all the money the Peres Center collected by invested in the institution deducting his travel and accommodation fees.
When the German team to the UEFA U-21 arrived in Israel all of the country was surprised by the teams specially designed uniform, which proved once again the strong bond between the two countries.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
When the German team to the UEFA U-21 arrived in Israel all of the country was surprised by the teams specially designed uniform, which proved once again the strong bond between the two countries.
The special uniform T-Shirt the Germans designed had a special emblem on it which, had the Israeli and German flags on each side and in the middle it said in Hebrew: It’s good to be Home. We asked the President of the German Soccer association, Wolfgang Niersbach, how they come up the idea.
Wolfgang Niersbach, President, Deutscher Fußball Bund:
The basic was the feeling to play in Israel is more than a European tournament, it’s a milestone and a milestone in the European football that for the first time ever these organization is not in the European territory. And to demonstrate, yes, we are from Germany and we have a very special relationship to the Football Association and to the state of Israel and that was the reason why and we brought the idea to the Captain of the team and his reaction was a spontaneous YES, great idea we do it and our feeling is telling me that this was a great gesture and also well accepted from the public here in Israel.
The German gesture was extremely well received by the Israeli public as the spokesperson of the Israeli Soccer Association, Michal Grundland, told us.
Michal Grundland, Spokesperson, Israeli Football Association:
We are very honored, you know, this is true friendship.
This is an emotional thing, I mean this is shapoo, you should take your hat off and say bravo, I mean it’s a great gesture.
The German Ambassador to Israel, Andreas Michaelis, admits the German t-shirt to the Euro 2013 is all everyone wants to talk to him about these days.
Andreas Michaelis, German Ambassador to Israel:
Yesterday, for instance, I spoke at an event that was organized by Israeli hosts, a few law firms, law firms we are not talking about some that has got to do with football, and they said they were really touched by that symbol of the t-shirt and so I think it was a wonderful idea and it has become almost a reference point these days.
Ron Jacobsohn, JN1 Correspondent:
And the German Football association will continue its strong bond with Israel as it signed during the tournament a new 2-year collaboration agreement with the Israeli football association for exchange of knowledge in areas like the under-21 teams, trainers and referees. For JN1 I am Ron Jacobsohn in Tel-Aviv