by Yori Yalon
Villagers proud of native son Ahmad Abughaush's achievement, which also brought Jordan its first Olympic medal • Restaurateur Jawdat Ibrahim: I felt like Israel had won. We plan to invite Ahmad to meet Israeli athletes, all in the name of coexistence.
Ahmad Abughaush flies the Jordanian flag after winning the gold
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Photo credit: GettyImages 
The Israeli Arab village of Abu Ghosh, outside Jerusalem, raised the roof with its celebrations when a relative of one of the village's major clans, Ahmad Abughaush -- who was competing for Jordan in taekwondo -- won a gold medal.
Young people from the village gathered in the community center to watch Abughaush's match, and when he won the gold, the Abu Ghosh restaurant handed out baklava to passersby.
Credit: Reuters"It's a huge honor for the village," said restaurant owner Jawdat Ibrahim.
"Ahmad's family moved to Jordan and did well
there. After [his] win, we decided to celebrate. I felt like Israel had
won. Jews came on Saturday and congratulated us, and that warmed our
hearts. I plan to invite Ahmad to Abu Ghosh so he can meet Israeli
athletes who were at the Olympics, along with the sports minister [Miri
Regev] and the Jordanian sports minister. All for the sake of
coexistence," Ibrahim said.
Head of the Abu Ghosh Regional Council Issa
Jaber, a relative of the taekwondo champion, added excitedly that "it's a
great source of pride for the family, the village and of course the
family in Jordan. We believe that sports can bring people closer. Ahmad
has been known as an outstanding athlete since he was a child, and two
years ago, when he won the Asian Taekwondo Championships, I had the
honor of placing the medal around his neck. He will be an example for
our young people in Abu Ghosh."
King Abdullah II of Jordan called Abughaush to
congratulate him on winning the kingdom's first-ever Olympic medal,
saying, "The champion has filled me, like all of Jordan, with
happiness."
However, Ahmad Abughaush himself cut an
interview with Israel's sports channel short after someone whispered
that he was talking to an Israeli TV channel. Abughaush claimed his
English was not fluent. Later, he completed the interview with the aid
of an interpreter.
Yori Yalon
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=35815
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