The Peres Center decided not to enter the presentation of “Snowball” to the itinerary of the Barcelona soccer team when they visited Israel, after it was deemed to contain the message that “The State of Israel is the national home of all Jews”, according to a report in Israel Today.
The story began in April of this year, during a new presentation at a children’s festival in Haifa. It is based on an original play, and sets the story of a boy – Felipe – a new immigrant from Argentina, and an avid fan of Barcelona football star, Lionel Messi. After learning that the Barcelona team was going to visit the country, the artistic director turned to the Peres Center for Peace, suggesting the presentation be integrated into the team’s forthcoming visit.
The Peres Center at first responded quite enthusiastically. And then an e-mail from Dvir Zivan, Director of the Sports Dept. for the Peres Center, was sent out, wherein he indicated that it was inappropriate. In essence, he stated that it was politically incorrect to expose Palestinian Arab children to a play that says Israel is a “Jewish State”. And so, plans for the presentation were cancelled.