Research Findings on the Effects of Sports for Peace Programs in Israel

Background: Many recreational coexistence programs are being conducted in Israel, such as in soccer, basketball, dancing, music, and cooking. However, the effectiveness of these programs in promoting improved relations and contributing to mitigating the conflict is sometimes questioned.

Aims: The research examined the effects of several different youth sports programs on the attitudes of Arab and Jewish youth toward each other, as well as how to make these programs even more effective in changing attitudes and promoting good relations.

Methods: Several research studies on the effects of joint sports programs on attitudes of Arabs and Jews toward each other have been conducted from September 2011 to the present time. Pretests and posttests have been administered to participants in three sports programs involving thousands of Arabs and Jews: The Friendship Games, Mifalot’s soccer programs, and the Peres Center for Peace sports programs.

Results: Most of the studies showed that attitudes of both the Jewish and Arab youth improved as a result of participation in these programs. However, some of the findings from the spring 2015 posttests were not so positive and are examined.

Discussion: The role of `sports for peace` programs in attempting to mitigate the Arab-Israeli conflict, as well as ways to make these programs more effective, needs to be further explored.

Conclusion: Sports programs with Arab and Jewish youth can contribute toward improving attitudes and promoting peaceful relations. However, there are many factors to consider in program design and implementation in order to maximize the positive effects of these programs.