Controversial Cellcom Soccer Commercial (and the Reality via YouTube)

By: Daryl | July 23rd, 2009

The above commercial for Israeli telephone company Cellcom has caused a stir in the Middle East. It depicts Israeli Defence Force soldiers playing soccer with unseen Palestinians by passing a football back and forth over the controversial Israel/West Bank barrier.

In response, some Palestinians demonstrated just how unrealistic the Cellcom commercial is by posting a YouTube video of what happens when Palestinians really do kick a football over the barrier:

The result wasn’t a friendly game of football tennis, but a rather unfriendly volley of teargas instead. Although, the fact that the Palestinians were already wearing facemasks suggests they knew what the Israeli response would be. So maybe it wasn’t a 100% earnest attempt to recreate the commercial.

The two sides of the argument over the Cellcom ad can be summed up like this:

Critics say the commercial makes light of the suffering caused by the barrier (which Palestinians refer to as “The Apartheid Wall”) and that it’s in bad taste to use the wall in a marketing campaign…

“It is weird and despicable to use the suffering and occupation as a means of advertisement,” said Saeb Erekat, a top aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

…while Cellcom says there is no political message in the commercial and that they only wished to convey a message of communication:

“The goal of the campaign was to get the message across that when people separated by religion, race and gender want to communicate they can, under any circumstances,” read a statement from the company. “The campaign has no cynical or hurtful intention and does not take any position.”

The good news is that though the events in the Cellcom commercial are a little unrealistic (it is a commercial after all, where everything you see is wishful thinking of one form or another) there are plentiful real-life examples of football based co-operation between Israelis and Palestinians.

There was the 2005 Match for Peace, where a united Israeli-Palestinian team took on Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and a similar event in Seville in 2006. There’s the similarly united U-16 team that competed at the 2006 Peace Cup in Israel. Or the Football for Peace coaching program to encourage social contact between Arabs and Israeli youths, which Joel Rockwood wrote an excellent first hand account of over at Soccerphile.

So whether Cellcom got it right or got it wrong, the fact remains that football has served and can continue to serve as a positive example of peaceful co-operation.

Some Related Stories:

Category: World Football

« US Soccer Bites the Hand that Feeds Its US Open Cup | Home | Daily Dose 07.23.09 »

The Offside RSS Feeds

العاب

the best thing i like there is no political message in the commercial just about games and i love that book. How football game Explains the World.
SylvesterIsAnAssHat

Yay, lets commercialize the oppression of one people by another! Then send our sycophant bloggers out to defend it - even on football sites! We must not spare even sport from our putrid, disgusting practices.

Brilliant!

Sylvester, your a mouthpiece for darkness...

And an A**hat.
old apple

I wasnt going to respond, as a reasoned debate is clearly impossible on the internet. However tamin fictionalizing history is too much, the Israeli jews absolutely drove out palestinians and other arabs in 1947-48, its a historical fact. Interestingly jewish extremists engaged in all sorts of terrorist activities throughout the 40's with the goal of establishing an independent jewish state.
CeCe

What a great article... that should have had its comment section closed.
Adolf Hitler

Deleted for stupidity.
Dhaw

Nope. I grew up in Dubai.
JDunn

The basic thing that a lot of people are missing is you can't go back and change the past. I do still hope that someday in my life there will be peace. But that may never come to fruition if people insist on hanging on to past, especially if their version of the past is truncated by bias. Someone can say that Palestinians were thrown off their land, but if you go back further in history, Israelis were thrown off that same land also. It's understandable why the UN set forth a plan to allow the Jewish people to finally go back to where they once called home as 6 million of them were systematically killed in one of the worst genocides in history.
Dustin

This is an amazing debate on a soccer site by a bunch of ignorant people. Go read some Noam Chomsky, maybe he can impart some knowledge.
tamim

Dhaw:

"You tell me what right does any frikking parent have to strap their kids with your so called plastic-harmless bombs and talk to them about jihad and how no jew is allowed to live and etc etc etc."

actually, they don't have to, they learn it by themselves when they israeli forces demolishing their houses and building new settelments over its ruins and when each one of them has lost one or more fimily remember.

"It’s Hamas who is spreading Terrorism, Palestinian civilian’s aint terrorist."

i don't agree with some of what hamas is doing but this is a naturaal response to 6p years of israeli terrorism, a country built on terrorism when jewish gangs used to kick people out of their houses nd steal their farms under british protection.

from your accent, i guess u were in either lebann, syria or jordan...right?

sylvester:

your dates are right but this isn't the case here, the point is why divide a the country in the first place, weren't there people living in this divided land where did they go? and how? wwhat was this land called before the israelis came?

it is the same like what happened in the united states, kicking out the original residents -red indians- annilating them and then declare a new country

"Residents were throw out of arab territories” is a complete lie"

loooooooooooool so where did they go?!!!!
BMatthews

Oh man...i've got a headache reading this whole exchange.
When I first watched this commercial I thought "hey...this is kind of cool, but sad." The presence of a wall (no matter how much good it does) should sadden everyone.
The blame falls on the Palestinians and the Israelis and many more, but the sadness should be shared.
This commercial reflects a hope that one day differences can be forgotten even for something trivial (like football...or soccer), and the 2nd video reflects how far we are from a day where those differences can be resolved.
I wouldn't say that I even have a solidly formed opinion about Arab/Israeli tensions....but I know that the gulf between the idealized commercial and the actual video should shame us all.
june16_1904

Shorter Sylvester:

Everyone should get along and like soccer. No one does because of the Palestinians.
john

Kind of like in Ireland, er...
Sylvester

Tamim -

read a history book:

The newly created United Nations approved the UN Partition Plan (United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181) on November 29, 1947, dividing the country into two states, one Arab and one Jewish. Jerusalem was to be designated an international city — a corpus separatum — administered by the UN to avoid conflict over its status.[56] The Jewish community accepted the plan,[57] but the Arab League and Arab Higher Committee rejected it.

IN 1948 Arabs and Jews were offered a peaceful two state solution from a third party. The Jews accepted, but the Arabs rejected PEACE.

"Residents were throw out of arab territories" is a complete lie.

Read a history book.
Dan

Regardless of where your political sympathies lie, there's definitely room for legitimate criticism of this ad.

The content is pretty standard commercial fare. "If things were simpler, this crazy wall wouldn't be here and we could get along."

The problem is, basically, that the people that built the wall are being presented by the commerical as unwitting victims of it. I can see why people are upset by that.
Zito

This sylvester guy is hilarious, at least Dhaw is being sensible.
Dhaw

I am not saying Israel is right. No they have done enough wrong as well just as enough wrong is done by Palestine.

End of the day Politicians feed of this and do whatever they want to do and civilians pay a big prize.

It's Hamas who is spreading Terrorism, Palestinian civilian's aint terrorist. I hope I am clear.

"I was called a terrorist... what I tell people who say those who are struggling for liberation in their country are terrorists, that I was also a terrorist. But today, I am admired by the very same people who said I was one " - Nelson Mandela.

Ma'a Salaama Habibi.
Dhaw

Did i use the word "Terrorists" Tamim ?

You tell me what right does any frikking parent have to strap their kids with your so called plastic-harmless bombs and talk to them about jihad and how no jew is allowed to live and etc etc etc.

Dont tell me that's done to educate them about "how to protect yourself and your family".
june16_1904

I loved that book. I'm also a big fan of "The Ball is Round" by David Goldblatt. Less so, "How Soccer Explains the World." but it was still interesting.
Tamim

in 1947 there was nothing called israel, in 1948 the state of israel was announced on arab territories after its residents were thrown out of it.

common sense says that some people were living in a place, others came and kicked them out and took their land, original residents fight back for their land.

the people in the pictures you posted aren't terrorists, they are fighting for their lives, anyone would do that if he was in their shoes, they don't have any hope in life because israel simply demonstrate its power and arrogance every single day by killing and arresting their fathers, brothers and rapping their mothers and sisters and for god sake how could you compare these plastic, harmless bombs with the most technologicaly developed weapons that israel uses everyday (chemical weapons, air jets. tanks, artilery....etc), i really can't understand you.

regarding the casualities, how many palestinian died since 1948 and how many israeli died!!!!!
Johonna

An interesting book on this topic (politics and football) is Simon Kuper's Football Against the Enemy.

It is a little out of date, but a very good read none the less.
june16_1904

I don't understand the desire on many football comment boards to shut down political discussion. Politics are a big part of what drew me to football in the first place. I just want to list a few places where everyone accepts that politics is a part of the beautiful game:

1. The dynamics of national rivalries (germany v england, Brazil v Argentina, USA v Mexico)
2. How and when cities and governments support stadium construction with tax dollars
3. Which clubs get national backing (Like with Madrid and Franco, Bunyodkor and Uzbekiistan)
4. Political views influence club culture ie Barca and Catalan nationalism.
5. The question of who gets to play? EU nationals? Foreign talent? Women or men? Gays? In what amounts?
6. Does Palestine get a real national team recognized by FIFA?
7. Should repressive countries be banned from international play? From the Olympics? Would anyone like to see North Korea hold a world cup?
8. Hooliganism as influenced by organized crime and neo-fascism

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is no football without politics. If football is supposed to hold people together on these websites, why do we fight so much as in scuffs between Man City fans and Man United fans? If people want to argue, why can't we let them?
Sylvester

dhaw - a good last comment on the topic. I consider the matter closed.

Emotions are so high when it comes to this topic that I don't think anyone will ever agree - the only thing that rational or educated people can ask of is for the neutral bystander to at least research the facts, and understand the whole side of the story, before making decisions or spouting ignorant / hateful comments.

At the end of the day, the original Cellcom commercial (not the hateful follow up response Youtube video) is what it is - a commercial trying to sell mobile phones and trying to make people relax / have a laugh from a tough situation.

soccer is what brings us all together onto this website, let's not let politics anger everyone and tear that bond apart.
Dhaw

on the other side, what do u call what happened and is happening in gaza and the west bank on daily basis, i am not going to ask you if u watched arab media but did u even watch the CNN footage of babies killed by israeli fighters; then u call palestinians terrorist. what logic is that!!!

What about this :

- http://media.photobucket.com/i...

- http://www.hyscience.com/Child...

- http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_gGao...

I can understand children getting killed in this ugly war but what do you have to say about the kids from Palestine ?

I have lived in an arab world and do understand the hatred but 2 wrong don't make a right.... neither does it give Hamas any right to get into civilian houses and fire rockets and then come crying that kids are dying.

No one is right or wrong on this one buddy.
june16_1904

"If the Palestinian terrorists put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.

If the Israelis put down their weapons today, there would be no more state of Israel."

But there already is no Palestine. Huh. Odd.
june16_1904

"The benefit of such a wall for Israel is WITHOUT QUESTION: Between 2002 and 2008 the number of victims of suicide bomb attacks on its soil has fallen from 451 to 7! 7. A fall of 99%."

and between WWII and now the amount of Americans being killed by Nazis has dropped to zero percent! That's bad logic buddy. Way to assume the thing you're trying to prove.
Sylvester

Tamim - I will resort to the old saying:

If the Palestinian terrorists put down their weapons today, there would be no more violence.

If the Israelis put down their weapons today, there would be no more state of Israel.

That's the difference between terrorism and self defense of a country.

No one will disagree with you that we don't want innocent lives lost as a byproduct of military operations, but these are the sacrifices that are made in war, especially when Hamas / Palestinian terrorist groups often use civilian housing (like hospitals, schools, etc.) grounds for launching rockets and starting battles - the terrorist hide like cowards behind innocent civilians and then the media shows the byproducts.

Open up your eyes, there are two sides to every story. I think everyone can agree that we are not in support of terrorism. No one is.

At th end of the day - the commercial from Cellcom is just that - a commercial - and shows that both Israelis and Palestinians love the same sports - soccer.
june16_1904

Football is already political. Argue away.
Sylvester

old apple - i don't think you can call it an apartheid wall - and without getting in to geography - public opinion has been very strongly in favor of the barrier, partly in the hope that it will improve security and partly in the belief that the barrier marks the eventual border of a Palestinian state. A two state solution. Side by side in peace.

Just a world geography refresher lesson for you as well, apple, as i have studied this topic for years in order to get an unbiased opinion:

S korea protects itself from N Korea with a wall.

India has a wall to protect itself from Pakistan.

Saudi Arabia has a wall to prevent Yemenite infiltration into the country.

Saudi Arabia also has a wall with Iraq.

Turkey claims part of the country of Cyprus as its own and has a wall there.

Thailand has a wall with Malaysia.

Pakistan has a barrier to separate from Afghanistan.

And the USA is building a wall on the Mexican border...

the list goes on.

The fact remains at the end of the day: The benefit of such a wall for Israel is WITHOUT QUESTION: Between 2002 and 2008 the number of victims of suicide bomb attacks on its soil has fallen from 451 to 7! 7. A fall of 99%.

In other news, the Israel national team won't make the World Cup... again.
Tamim

sylvester: what would you do if someone takes your land you are living on, destroy your house, kill your family and you have no weapon to fight back with?!!

did you ask yourself why are the palestinians doing this?!!!

on the other side, what do u call what happened and is happening in gaza and the west bank on daily basis, i am not going to ask you if u watched arab media but did u even watch the CNN footage of babies killed by israeli fighters; then u call palestinians terrorist. what logic is that!!!

BTW, the teargas bombs can be clearly viewed in the second video, i am not making it up!!

i didn't mean to interfere politics in football but i was just answering your question.
old apple

Why then does the wall extend into territory that legally belongs to the Palestinians?

I dont want to get sucked into a political discussion on a football blog but apartheid wall is an accurate description.
Sylvester

Tamim -

you are dead wrong here. the wall is to protect israelis from terrorists. its aim is to stop suicide bombers from crossing into israel and blowing up innocent civilians.

Look at our own USA for example - we are building a wall just to protect us from Mexicans entering illegally. They arent even suicide bombers, they are just impoverished!

There is a ton of hypocrisy surrounding the whole wall issue. If even one suicide bomber made his way through Mexico - can you imagine our response?

"u get teargas bombs instead of balls!!!" is an ignorant and hateful statement. Learn the facts. The Israelis are trying to secure their own borders and protect from terrorists.
Tamim

the israeli commercial didn't show who is kicking the ball from the palestinian side which is a subliminal message; as musab said, truth isn't that pretty, u get teargas bombs instead of balls!!

who said israelis can play football anyway!!!!!
Ibracadabra

i'll just repeat what I wrote about 10 days ago when I first saw this commercial:

This is a soccer blog not a political blog, but for the record, I do not oppose the Israeli cell-phone company Cellcom's controversial new commercial embedded above.

The piece ends with the voice over, "So what is it that we all want? Just a little fun. Cellcom Media come on in."

I think the advertisement does not hurt or offend anyone, and in fact - it shows that we are all humans - Jewish or Arab, Palestinian or Israeli. We are one. We all love the beautiful game.

http://nevercaptainnickybutt.b...
Musab

I guess the commercial had good intentions but the truth isnt all that pretty