Fighting for peace

Giving peace a fighting chance

When children from northern Arab and Jewish Israeli villages get together for martial arts, they are really building relationships.

A project called Budo for Peace is bringing Israeli Arab and Jewish children together to fight for peace -- literally. The 400 children from 20 clubs take part in joint sessions to learn the martial art and also discover some important things about one another.

"Our goal is to bring children who are in conflict areas to understand about respect, tolerance, non-violence, and break down the barriers of ignorance and fear," says founder Danny Hakim, a sixth-degree black belt.
It may seem odd to use a fighting framework to forward peace in Israel, but Hakim believes his method leads to greater harmony among children from the two cultures, who often harbor misconceptions about each other.

In fact, Budo for Peace has been a springboard for additional contact between the two villages. "Clubs that have existed for years want to join us," says Hakim. There is also interest from other countries.

Downloads:

Videos:

- Hi Res: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=2TRWKBE7

- Hi Res No Narration: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=R86FDY3T

- Streaming: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=62NUGP1S

- Streaming No Narration: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=51URPMYY

Documents:

- SCRIPT: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=IUH6I520

- INTRO: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=4L85E4IS

Please credit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel for any use of these videos

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Budo for Peace
• Israeli-Arab
• martial arts
• non-violence
• Danny Hakim
• peace
• Israel.

[Lagolop]

Why should they give up their ethnic status?! What does that have to do with peace. Why cant arabs accept a Jewish state?

[marxistRAGE]

See? Israelis and Palestinians can co-exist. There's no reason Israel can't give up its status as an ethnic state, and allow a right of return and full integration of the Palestinian people.

[237Michael]

Congratulations to this teacher for this nice initiative! I hope it helps ordinary Israelis to start seeing Palestinians as human beings so Israelcould get out of the occupied West Bank and return all the land stolen by settlers to the Palestinians. If that happened, the two people could leave in peace and maybe even be friends.

[ImamTime]

1:18 funny but scary look!

[elleiR108]

Fighting for peace is like f*cking for virginity. . .

[TheEEStudent]

Unfortunately, these kids will grow to use these skills.

[WinkyMaeve]

very inspiring and very nice 

[2024Warren]

Kol HaKavod Danny.

[077watchman]

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.I Am YaHuWaH thy Elohim am a jealous Elohim

[visitokinawajapan]

I'm very moved. Those children's smiles are beautiful.