BNEI CLAIM CUP BERTH
Bnei Sakhnin beat Hapoel Haifa 4-1 on Tuesday to win the coveted State Cup and become the first Arab Israeli side to secure a place in Europe's UEFA Cup. Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat sent their congratulations in a rare show of unity for a region torn by violence and mistrust.
"This victory is like a new start, a new era for Israeli Arabs," said Sakhnin team captain Abbas Suan.
Club chairman Mazen Ghnaim said: "We have qualified for Europe and we will prove to the world how to make peace between Jews and Arabs."
Israel's Arabs, who number some 1.1 million, make up nearly a fifth of the population. They are descended from families that stayed while hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the 1948 Independence War.
Israeli Arabs say the government fails to give the same funding to their towns, schools and other infrastructure as it does for Jews.
"Discrimination is so obvious," said Mohammed Bashir, mayor of the town of 22,000 in the verdant hills of Galilee.
"Our people in Sakhnin hope that this win will open the door for a real and concrete partnership and equal rights."
Sakhnin has often been the scene of clashes between locals and Israeli police. Thirteen Arabs were killed in riots near the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000.
But while many Israeli Arabs sympathise with Palestinian kin in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, few have taken an active role in the conflict that has raged in the Middle East for more than three and a half years.
Arafat phoned to congratulate Sakhnin from his besieged West Bank headquarters.
Sharon promised extra help to rebuild the town stadium.
"I am sure you will represent Israel with honour in Europe," said a statement from the prime minister
Taken from www.eurosport.com
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Excellent! I like this man and his club already! :thumb:
Bnei Sakhnin beat Hapoel Haifa 4-1 on Tuesday to win the coveted State Cup and become the first Arab Israeli side to secure a place in Europe's UEFA Cup. Israeli PM Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat sent their congratulations in a rare show of unity for a region torn by violence and mistrust.
"This victory is like a new start, a new era for Israeli Arabs," said Sakhnin team captain Abbas Suan.
Club chairman Mazen Ghnaim said: "We have qualified for Europe and we will prove to the world how to make peace between Jews and Arabs."
Israel's Arabs, who number some 1.1 million, make up nearly a fifth of the population. They are descended from families that stayed while hundreds of thousands fled or were forced out during the 1948 Independence War.
Israeli Arabs say the government fails to give the same funding to their towns, schools and other infrastructure as it does for Jews.
"Discrimination is so obvious," said Mohammed Bashir, mayor of the town of 22,000 in the verdant hills of Galilee.
"Our people in Sakhnin hope that this win will open the door for a real and concrete partnership and equal rights."
Sakhnin has often been the scene of clashes between locals and Israeli police. Thirteen Arabs were killed in riots near the start of a Palestinian uprising in 2000.
But while many Israeli Arabs sympathise with Palestinian kin in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, few have taken an active role in the conflict that has raged in the Middle East for more than three and a half years.
Arafat phoned to congratulate Sakhnin from his besieged West Bank headquarters.
Sharon promised extra help to rebuild the town stadium.
"I am sure you will represent Israel with honour in Europe," said a statement from the prime minister
Taken from www.eurosport.com
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Excellent! I like this man and his club already! :thumb:
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