By Micah Halpern
I've Been Thinking:
Yesterday, for the first time in many moons, the Palestinians engaged in a display of unity. It cannot last long, but Hamas and the PA engaged in a sense of communal and national solidarity.
The Palestinian Authority and Hamas played soccer. Yes, a soccer game. The PA team dressed in green, Hamas dressed in red. The match was played in Gaza in front of 7,000 people. The game ended in goalless 0-0.
A second match will be played in the West Bank. That match is called the Palestinian Cup and the winner of the match will play in the
Asian Cup representing the Palestinians. Jibril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian soccer federation, named the match.
It might look like a simple game, but this sporting event, this decision to play a soccer match, is a huge move. As much as they can say that there is no politics in sports and that sports is above politics - Palestinian sports is very politically charged.
Even letting Hamas compete against the PA with the possibility of their winning and then representing the Palestinians - in anything, no less the Asia cup, is a gargantuan gesture of unity.
Even if Hamas does not win, all of Gaza will have seen that that the Palestinian Authority attempted to extend their hand.
Micah@MicahHalpern.com
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