From the outside looking in you might have thought you’d arrived to a regular summer camp – kids running around, swimming, playing football, laughing and having fun. But if you listened carefully you would hear both Hebrew and Arabic, children discussing coexistence and the beginnings of important friendships. On July 9-12th, 2010, Soccer for Peace and the Maccabim Association hosted the annual Soccer for Peace Summer Camp. Participants came from the Wadi Ara region, one of Israel’s most sensitive areas. The camp brought together 40 children from Jenin and 40 children from Israel (both Jewish and Arabs) for football, coexistence activities and of course, fun.

The campers entered the weekend as strangers, fearing their peers. Their fears soon dissolved when they had the chance to get to know the “other.” Despite a language barrier, football provided a common language for the children to break down barriers. Israeli-Arabs helped their new friends by translating between Hebrew and Arabic. Comfortable communication helped cross-border, cross-cultural friendships bloom.

The summer camp included both structured and unstructured coexistence building. Participants visited a local mosque and synagogue, meeting with their respective clergymen. Campers discussed coexistence by building trust, confronting harmful stereotypes and breaking down preconceived notions.

Campers also viewed “The Heart of Jenin,” a moving coexistence dialogue. The film tells the story of Ismail Khatib, a Palestinian father whose son, Ahmad Ismail Khatib was killed accidently by the Israeli Defense Forces. In an incredibly pious gesture, Khatib donated his son’s organs to six Israeli children. The campers were all affected by the powerful story and had the opportunity for discussion afterwards.

Equally as the results of informal coexistence building will stay with these children forever. Teamwork and cooperation required by football brought the children together and dissolved individual differences. The friendships formed on the football pitch represent a human connection whose strength will extend far beyond the 90th minute. As the children left the camp, they became “new ambassadors of goodwill,” wrote Boaz Fieler (journalist from Israeli news website ynet).

The Barkai Center for Football, Education and Coexistence will host continued joint-coexistence activities throughout the year on a monthly basis. In the meantime, campers exchanged phone numbers, emails and Facebook information.