17:00, Monday 18 April: a violent explosion occurred on bus number 12 on the south side of Jerusalem. According to early reports, the explosion struck an empty public transport vehicle and the flames spread to another nearby bus and private automobile.
That was the start of our trip to Israel and Palestine in the build-up to Passover. We made sure our colleagues on the ground and the kids that train nearby were okay. And, after a brief chat amongst ourselves, we decided unanimously to stay.
Our days were spent training in the Palestinian village of Dir Istia on the West Bank, in the Arab-Israeli village of Jaljulia and finally in the mixed area of Beit Safafa on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Lots of fun and hard work, countless phone calls with Yasha, Jasmine,
Buma, the local organisers and parents, ID and check points, old friends and new faces, long conversations and a landscape which, in a few short miles, details the troubled past and current lives of several proud peoples.
Throughout our stay we told ourselves to be consistent and consolidate what works but, also to bridge the gap and not lose sight of our dreams of integration.
Thursday 22 April, 17:00: our tournament at Ramat Gan sports centre in Tel Aviv has just ended. The tired but happy kids stay together for snack time, while the local coaches meet for the first lecture with our staff Alberto and Silvio. All this in an atmosphere of emotion and fear to face positions which, in previous forums, had proved difficult to tone down. The language of football, however, once again worked its magic. Israelis and Palestinians together in a meeting of generations, sport and culture, which concluded in one big embrace.
