Businessman Kobi Sidi initiates rapprochement between Jewish and Arab children

"We will continue to live together, there is no other option" — this is the message of businessman Kobi Sidi, associated with the Atletico Madrid football club and former CEO of Hapoel Tel Aviv football club, who is launching a unique initiative to bring Jewish and Arab Israeli children closer together through sports and meetings.

"In Israel, there are about two million Arabs living, and in 14 years their number will reach about 9.2 million. The hatred of extremists on both sides is growing day by day and it will lead nowhere," explains Sidi, noting further that about 33% of Israeli Arabs are children under the age of 14.

The goal of Sidi's project is to create coexistence between Jewish and Arab children through sports. "The idea is to establish joint football teams of Jewish and Arab children. It is possible to establish such teams in different areas of the country, such as a joint team of children from Nazareth and Afula," he says.

"At the same time, it is necessary to initiate the purchase of tickets for hundreds of Arab children from villages and Jewish children from cities outside the Tel Aviv area and bring them together to matches of leading teams, such as Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa. When they hug each other in the stands after a goal is scored, cheer together and feel a shared identification, this will provide the cooperation."

Sidi emphasizes that he aims to expand the cooperation to other sports fields:

"A kibbutz member from the north suggested initiating a joint marathon for Jewish and Arab children. It is also possible to initiate joint meetings and performances. I am about to propose to a businessman from the USA to build a football stadium in the name of his late father, which will be named 'Peace Stadium' and will host joint games of Jewish and Arab children."

"Not long ago I visited the Old City in Jerusalem, I entered through the Damascus Gate and met dozens of Arabs who expressed a wish to live in coexistence and peace, they told me 'Inshallah there will be peace'," he notes. "I also visited and helped the Druze who were harmed in Majdal Shams in the disaster of the rocket hit launched by Hezbollah. I am working to help and bring hearts closer in all sectors. Hatred will lead nowhere, but coexistence will, which will start with the children."

Sidi clarifies that the project is intended for children living within the Green Line, with a "blue identity card". "We must give hope to future generations. Most adults are already locked in and it is very difficult to fix. The hope is the younger generation, which will continue to live here together and in coexistence of mutual respect."