The Art of Building Domestic Peace: The Role of Football in Resolving Local Conflicts in West Bank- Palestine رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Conflict is a permanent and a sophisticated feature of this world; it appears between individuals, groups, and states. Actually, it remarkably exists in politics, economics, and cultures. Others argue that conflicts, in general, heavily lie between civilizations- Clash of Civilizations, written by: Samuel P. Huntington. In fact, conflicts- on our planet- are absolutely freely roaming; in the sense of, it presents in environment, nature, between animals, atoms, even among our brains and hearts. Actually, living in peace is considered the first fundamental pillar in building societies and civilized states. Therefore, this study examines the role of football in resolving local conflicts in West Bank- Palestine. The main problem of this study revolves around the huge number of local conflicts in Palestine with few alternatives and solutions on the first hand and with a real absent role of football in conflict resolution field, on the other one. Moreover, it lies in the Palestinian local community‟s negligence of football compared with other traditional subjects. Indeed, the wide category of Palestinian youths with the absence of goal- seeking football clubs which aim to enhance their societal, political, economic, cultural, and environmental awareness level is a central part of the research problem. This study has a main question and another six sub- questions. To achieve best answers, the researcher adopts the qualitative approach. Actually, he conducts twelve personal interviews over West Bank with football clubs‟ managers, football coaches, football players, sports commentators, sports journalists, and sports organizations. He also conducts four focused- groups divided into footballers and non- footballers, each composed of 4 participants, from Jenin and Nablus districts. The outcomes of this study are: First, football strongly contributes in resolving local conflicts in Palestine. Second, it immensely consolidates skills and values of conflict resolution. Third, Palestinian football players do fully understand the importance of skills and VII values of conflict resolution. Fourth, Palestinian football players do realize the relationship between football and conflict resolution. Fifth, Palestinian football players do heavily embody the acquired skills and values of conflict resolution in their lives. Sixth, football players have a fundamental role in resolving local conflicts in Palestine. Finally, The Israeli occupation negatively impacts on the Palestinian football environment. Hereafter, the most important recommendations highlighted by the researcher: First, to circulate the results of this study among Palestinian football clubs, and Palestinian decision- makers. Second, to adopt football as an integral part of the Palestinian domestic peace building process. Third, to examine the role of other sports in the field of conflict resolution in Palestine. Fourth, to engage female- players in coming similar studies. Fifth, to support local football clubs to be able to run normally. Sixth, to establish football academies particularly for players from 6- 12 year- old. Seventh, to focus not only on the practical side of football‟s role in resolving local conflicts but also on the theoretical side by conducting focused- sessions for Palestinian youths that manifest the relationship between football and conflict resolution field. Finally, the researcher assures the necessity of studying the role of football in converting football referees to local arbitrators, and the role of “VAR” in spreading “third party intervention” concept to end conflicts.