A group of Israeli judokas will travel next week to Morocco as part of the Israeli Judo Association's "Judo For Peace" initiative, which aims to foster ties between Israeli and Moroccan athletes.
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Organized in cooperation with Morocco's judo alliance and the International Judo Federation, the trip will include visits to judo training sites in Casablanca, Marrakesh, Essaouira, and capital Rabat.
The Israeli group consists of seven Arab athletes from Abu Ghosh and seven Jewish judokas from Jerusalem who train together year-round as part of a program designed to forge ties between Arabs and Jews.
The delegation will be headed by program director Yoel Libster and President of the Israel Judo Association and former Olympic judoka Moshe Ponte.
Before setting out on the trip, the group met with Moroccan Consul in Jerusalem Abdek Rahim-Biod.
While in Morocco, the athletes will be welcomed at a celebratory dinner at the Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat.
Ponte expressed excitement at the cooperation with the North African nation.
"While it was more difficult in the past, this time we are welcomed in Morocco for cooperation openly and fully, which also plants seeds for the future. Big thanks to Yoel Libster and Morocco's judo association. I am overjoyed about the project and happy that youngsters are participating in it," he said.
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