This Made My Day': A Video of Israeli Soldiers and Palestinian Kids You're Not Likely to See Many Places

Video showing the unlikely scene of Israeli law enforcement officers playing soccer with a group of Palestinian children sparked a lively discussion on Facebook, with some people asking why the media rarely show Israelis and Palestinians getting along — while others worried about the uniformed cops on patrol playing while holding their weapons.

Israeli Border Police officers and Palestinian youths kicked a ball in a street soccer match. (Image source: YouTube)

TheBlaze is unable to independently authenticate the video, which appears to have first surfaced in late February from a Palestinian neighborhood in an area of Jerusalem and shows Israeli Border Police recruits playing soccer in the street with kids as younger children stand around and watch.

The Jewish Standard, a New Jersey publication, put the video on its own Facebook page on Sunday, posting: “Moments like this one, where IDF soldiers on patrol engage in a pick-up soccer game with Palestinian youths, don't often make the news.” (Note that Israel’s Border Police patrol east Jerusalem neighborhoods, not the Israel Defense Forces as the newspaper reported.)

“Israel and the conflict are complicated. The human beings that make up the mundane, daily moments that don't make the news are what makes the future so hopeful,” the Jewish Standard noted, using the hashtag #Hope.

On the Arabic Facebook page that had the video two weeks earlier, many of the replies included the Arabic version of “hehehehehe.”

The comments posted in English focused largely on why the mainstream media rarely share positive images emerging from the region, including one, Moshe Daboub, who posted: “Cnn will probably say the soldiers where kicking a round Palestinian."

Natasha Harrison Danieli wrote, “Why don't they show these moments more in the news!”

Others expressed concern about the police playing with their guns, though putting down their weapons would be a breach of regulations.

“Yeah, but should IDF soldiers really be engaging in games with youth like that, while they're holding machine guns?” Drew Korschun wrote. “While it's important to remind ourselves of the humanity on all sides of this conflict, it's important to be aware of the power imbalances of an occupying military power and an indigenous population. Let's demilitarize. Let's aim for peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians.”

Randall Gabriel Condello wrote, “That's real smart gun safety there. Idiots with fingers on the trigger running around.”

There were other posts casting suspicion on the Israelis’ motives.

“Lions also licks the hunted animal before they start eating. One single video doesn't change the reality. Sorry but that is the fact,” wrote TC Tamer Demirbilek.

Others were simply happy to see good news and hoped it might portend better times ahead:

Omer Al Kadi Viv wrote, “Mashallah.... This made my day. The moment I hoped (smiley).” "Mashallah" is an Arabic phrase used to express joy.

“Maybe just maybe its time for peace. These little things add up to something someday," Muhammad Al Fattah wrote. "I really do think that most people could agree on this. This palestine-israelis war have been going on for years! I'm an anti-zionist but then again now put the hatred aside and think, how many woman and kids have died coming from both side. Its honestly sad. Don't think The holy quran or Holy bible etc etc encourage people to kill each other to fulfil ones need of greed,power etc.”

“Brings a smile to my face! Thank you!” wrote Paula Howard.

It’s not totally clear from the short excerpt, but it looked like the Palestinian youths scored the goal, based on the sides each team had staked out.

Here’s the video:

(H/T: Jewish Press)