Contributed by: Brett Northey Monday, August 18 2008 @ 04:20 pm ACST
The Israel-Palestine Peace Team has been named, with 26 players headed for Australia. With different faiths and different languages, getting this side together was a daunting task. They now face further great hurdles - experienced opponents and understanding coach Robert DiPierdomenico (fortunately co-coached by Simon Jacobs). Some promising matches against expat-Aussies in Israel suggest this side will be tougher to beat than first expected, but a lack of experience will hurt and few tall players could be a problem if conditions are fine.
The Peace Team:
| # | Player | Club | Age | Height (cm) | Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kamal ABUALTHOM | N/A | 24 | 184 | 83 |
| 2 | Abed ABU HADUAN | N/A | 21 | 170 | 70 |
| 4 | Ahmad ABU RMAILEH | N/A | 20 | 198 | 78 |
| 5 | Naseem ALMANASRA | N/A | 22 | 173 | 72 |
| 6 | Alla BARHOUM | N/A | 36 | 180 | 82 |
| 7 | Karim BARHUM | N/A | 22 | 176 | 72 |
| 8 | Yonatan BELIK | N/A | 18 | 181 | 71 |
| 9 | Shai BRAITNER | N/A | 31 | 186 | 82 |
| 10 | Danny BRILL | N/A | 28 | 173 | 90 |
| 13 | Dari TAMIMI | N/A | 21 | 175 | 72 |
| 14 | Ariel GOLDSMITH | N/A | 29 | 177 | 75 |
| 17 | Dror HAIM | N/A | 26 | 179 | 86 |
| 19 | Hamudi IBDEIR | N/A | 24 | 170 | 65 |
| 20 | Leith JABER | N/A | 16 | 177 | 85 |
| 22 | Uri KANDEL | N/A | 28 | 182 | 78 |
| 24 | Nati KOKE | N/A | 26 | 178 | 75 |
| 25 | Kfir KOL | N/A | 31 | 182 | 70 |
| 29 | Moshe LAGISA | N/A | 28 | 176 | 64 |
| 30 | Ran NADIR | N/A | 31 | 179 | 78 |
| 31 | Kevin NAFTE | N/A | 25 | 180 | 80 |
| 32 | Erez NOTA | N/A | 29 | 180 | 75 |
| 39 | Fady RUMMAN | N/A | 27 | 180 | 81 |
| 40 | Ilan SAMUEL | N/A | 25 | 165 | 62 |
| 41 | Sam SWAITTI | N/A | 25 | 180 | 90 |
| 42 | Asher SUISSA | N/A | 36 | 174 | 76 |
| 43 | Fares SWAITTI | N/A | 29 | 190 | 96 |