When dreams become a reality

In two and a half weeks, my Israeli and Palestinian team mates and I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime.

The last year has been without a doubt the most
fascinating time of my life. I have just completed my MA degree in
Government specializing in Counter Terrorism. Initially, my idea was to
become an "expert" in the field of counter terrorism and get a job in
the security industry. Now, I'm not really feeling that... As amazing
as the course was, there was an element which bothered me throughout
the course. The constant pessimism and negativity of learning to deal
with the unlimited challenges which threaten our existence really got
to me. Suicide bombers, nuclear war, chemical, biological and
radiological weapons, government's inadequacy and constant failures
were just a few of the topics which we focused on.

People keep telling me about these apocalyptic visions
which they are having, especially in wake of a nuclear Iran threatening
Israel's destruction. Yes, I agree - we cannot sit idly by while some
raving lunatic incites mass genocide. We have seen this before and we
should learn from our mistakes. However, I believe that this so called
"apocalypse" which we are all so terrified by, can be the result of our
own cynicism and negativity.

Why not take a look at all the wonderful things going
on? Why do the media persist in showing us violence and war and
instilling fear into the publics' minds? I recently read an article in
the Jerusalem Post about all foreign journalists leaving the area
because there was no more "violence and death". Apparently there is
nothing to report about...

For me; counter terrorism is all about developing trust
and understanding between one another. Educating the youth through non
political means to forge relationships and conveying this message
through the media to the rest of the world. Human beings have hope,
however most people need pictures and evidence to believe in it.

So, I have attached a picture to this email for you
all. It is a picture of a group of Israelis and Palestinians, who over
the last 7 months have learnt to trust one another and have even built
friendships between one another. These courageous men are the Peres
Center's "Peace Team" who will compete in the International Cup in
Melbourne in a just a few weeks time.

It is hard to describe to you how far this team has come over the last 7 months, but I’m gonna give it a bash.

I remember the first sessions vividly, Israelis sitting
one side of the room and Palestinians sitting the other side, murmuring
at the others expense, trying to understand this mad looking sport
which was being shown on a TV. From then on, each week, the Israelis
would trek from across the country while the Palestinians would have to
pass through countless checkpoints to get to the training ground, which
was situated in the magnificent Jerusalem forests, in the biblical Ella
Valley.

As the players honed in on their skills, their wariness
of their team mates began to subside. Arabic, Hebrew and English were
all being spoken, however more sense and understanding was made by
simply playing footy. The fact that none of these players had ever seen
or heard of AFL football was always going to be a challenge, especially
considering the lack of time. However, this was actually the least of
our worries. Countless times, training had to be cancelled because the
Palestinian Territories were shut down either due to George Bush being
in town or terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. Not your everyday excuse for
not pitching up to training ah…

One of the Palestinians who really enjoyed the game was
forced to drop out as his family was threatened, because people
suspected him of collaborating with Israel because he was always
getting permission to go into Israel.
Despite these obstacles, the Peace Team pushed on. When terrorists were
firing rockets into Sderot and the IDF was operating in Gaza, an
emotional rage transpired into a motivational force on the field: 120%
was given by everyone. And after the two abducted soldiers were
returned to Israel in coffins, everyone just kept on playing football
with a renewed enthusiasm and spirit.

A few weeks ago, I spent the day in Jericho, the oldest
and the lowest city in the world. Israelis are not permitted to enter
there as it is a Palestinian controlled city. However, I used my Aussie
passport and there were no worries. I was invited to one of my
Palestinian team mate’s home for lunch. I hope both my Israeli and
Palestinian team mates will one day be able to do this too. In fact,
I’m pretty certain they will be.

The Peace Team will be arriving in Sydney on Thursday
21st August. We will be heading to Melbourne on Saturday 23rd. Our
first game is on Wednesday 27th August at Royal Park North against
Great Britain. Game starts at 1pm. We have another game against Papua
New Guinea on Fri 29th August at 1 pm also at Royal Park North.
Thereafter, we will be playing a couple of games in Warrnambool and
then back in Melbourne.

For more information, check out our Facebook group.

Competition is going to be tough, but the Peace Team are
fighters, with a little bit of heart and a renewed belief, there is not
much they can’t do.