The Bedouin city of Rahat is hoping that its young men and women would be able to represent Israel in international tennis championships.
By KHALED ABU TOAMEHSheikh Faiz Abu Sihiban on the tennis court as part of a sports initiative in Rahat.(photo credit: ALAM IBRAHIM)
The Bedouin city of Rahat hopes its young men and women will be able to represent Israel in international tennis championships, Mayor Fayez Sahiban said Monday.He made his remarks at a daylong educational gathering in Ramat Hasharon organized by the Israel Tennis and Education Centers. Heads of various departments in the Rahat Municipality also attended the event.The unique event came against the backdrop of recent tensions between Jews and Arabs, especially in mixed cities.“I never held a racket,” Sahiban said. “I’m now attracted to this sport. I love it, and we played together.”Noting that tennis was relatively new to the Arab sector, he expressed the hope that Rahat residents would one day represent Israel in international tennis championships.“Rahat has a very young population,” Sahiban said. “The average age is 18, and we are a poor city. We want them to teach us how to fish so we would be able to catch the fish.“Tennis is a sport that is all about tolerance and love for the other. I want Rahat to have a tennis infrastructure for our young people. I want the young people of Rahat to be busy with sports, especially in the field of tennis. This cooperation is good and productive and gives opportunities to our young people.”Sahiban said he hoped the new government would invest more in his city, particularly in sports.
Sheikh Faiz Abu Sihiban second from left , ITEC CEO Erez Vider third from Left, Wimbledon Champion Andy Ram 4th from Left, senior Rahat officials and Dan Diker co-chairman 2nd from right, together as part of a tennis initiative in the city of Rahat. (Photo Credit: ALAM IBRAHIM)
“This is important for us and for Israel,” he said. “We don’t want to be the backyard of the state. We want to be partners in good and positive things. Sports always bring good things and connect people. In sports, there are no enemies.”Dan Diker, co-chairman of the board of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers, said their goal is “to develop leaders off the court and champions on the court.”He and his Jewish and Arab colleagues are seeking to use the discipline, values and principles of excellence-based tennis to help young people become champions, Diker told The Jerusalem Post.“The vision of the tennis center is to create not only coexistence, but true partnership between Arabs and Jews and other sectors of society by using tennis and education as a language of equality and inclusion,” he said.The invitation to the Rahat mayor and leaders was aimed at “making tennis an excellent vehicle for their children and youths,” Diker said. “This is very important against the backdrop of Iran-inspired extremism. The mayor and his colleagues made a clear statement that what is important today is rackets, not rockets.”
