Ron's World The VERY ENTERTAINING WORLD of Ron Jacobsohn
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.
