Sport Rots the Brain

You've really got to hand it to Israel's Ministry for Pulling the Wool Over Western Eyes, aka the Peres Centre for Peace, for proving that sport rots the brain.

For example, to make up the Palestinian component of their joint Israeli-Palestinian football team, dubbed - what else? - the Peace Team, the PCfP has recruited the likes of Khaled Abu Althom:

"... Kamal Abu Althom, a Hebron soccer coach, claimed it was all about getting to know the players. 'Look, you know about the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Everyone on the West Bank thinks of Israelis as our enemies. And the only thing I knew about Israelis was what people said about them, what I read in the newspapers and what I heard on the radio all my life. They are killing us, they are destroying our houses, and so on. Then I came to play on the Peace Team and met Israelis for the first time face to face as individuals. Before, they were 'the enemy'. But when I talk with the Israelis, I'm talking with a human being - not an 'Israeli' or whatever - you will surely change your mind." (Peace Team a mighty mark, Daily Telegraph, 13/8/11)

Now here's a guy who lives in what the Palestinian researchers, who keep tabs on these things, call Ground Zero for Israeli settler violence but claims he's only ever heard about these Zionist pitbulls? I mean, does he live a sheltered life or what?

[* 451 acts of settler violence in Hebron; 460 in Hebron governorate: Hebron: Ground Zero for Israeli settler violence, April/2011, blog.thejerusalemfund.org]

As for the PT's Australian coach, Robert 'Dipper' DiPierdomenico, I sincerely hope his grasp of the game is better than his grasp of history:

"I couldn't believe people wanted to bring Israelis and Palestinians together to play football. I thought, 'You're kidding, aren't you?' I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Five weeks later I was in Israel coaching in the team. We're talking about thousands of years of war, and now look at them." (ibid)

Dipper, you're kidding, aren't you?

[On what really goes on in Israeli sport, read my 17/6/11 post Foul Play]