FC Barcelona visits Palestine

Lionel Messi with singer Mohammad Assaf (R) Occupied Jerusalem - Arab Today Lionel Messi and his fellow Barcelona stars were mobbed on their arrival in Israel on Saturday where the Spanish giants are staging two "training camps for peace". Hundreds of fans, wearing Barcelona shirts, as well as a heavy police presence greeted the squad who will train with groups of Israeli and Palestinian children. The players, who are also visiting Bethlehem, where they were met by Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, and the Wailing Wall, were working with Palestinian youngsters at Hebron on Saturday night. "The goals are important but it's also crucial to educate children and try to bring them together," said midfielder Andres Iniesta. The training sessions are organised by the Peres Centre for Peace as well as the Israeli and Palestinian football federations. Around 25,000 spectators turned up for the Saturday night training session in Hebron, a crowd which included Mohammad Assaf, the Gaza singer who won the "Arab Idol" talent show earlier this year. Fans jostled for the opportunity to snap Messi and his teammates on their mobile phones. After a brief warm-up period, the Barcelona stars played with a group of boys and girls, relaying some of the secrets of their trademark intricate passing game. Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestinian football federation, said he hoped that when Barcelona visited again in the future, it would be in a "an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel". "Sport is the best way to overcome hate and hostility," said Rajoub who described the visit as an "historic day". Source: AFP