Colombian singer Shakira performed for hundreds of Israeli and Palestinian children in Jerusalem during a UNICEF event, W Radio reports.
Appointed the UNICEF goodwill ambassador in 2003, Shakira noted that she was pleased to visit the students in their school which provides a bilingual and binational educational experience. She greeted the crowd with a single “shalom” and mixed with the children after her performance.
After her meeting with the children, Shakira attended a presidential conference Tuesday titled “Facing Tomorrow” with Israeli president Shimon Peres. Shakira strongly stressed the importance of education for improving the area, noting that “the good thing about investing in education is that you don’t have to wait 100, 50, or 20 years. You can see tangible results immediately.”
Shakira also expressed her hope that Palestinians and Israelis would put aside their differences. “I saw a lot of Barca shirts,” she told the audience, referring to her trip to the children’s school. “I thought how wonderful it would be if the world acted like a team, like Barca. This is the time to wear the same t-shirt, to win the match of discrimination and segregation.”
Peres, Shakira, and Gerard Pique, Shakira’s boyfriend and Barcelona soccer player, strengthened the ties of their respective charities, the Peres Foundation, Pies Descalzos, and the Barcelona Soccer Foundation, vowing to promote the education of children on the value of sports.
The three charities signed agreements of cooperation.
