This article was originally published by Maan News and is republished with permission.

A British non-professional football team is currently touring the West Bank in an attempt to raise awareness about the Palestinian situation.

The team, the 'Easton Cowboys', arrived on Thursday for a 10 day trip during which they will play five matches, the organizer Hamed Al-Qawasmi explained to Ma'an.

Currently, they are guests of the Ibda' cultural centre in Deheisheh refugee camp in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. On Friday afternoon, they are playing the Ibda' team in a football match in Beit Sahour.

The 14 British footballers, who mainly hail from the English cities of Bristol and Leeds, will play the Bethlehem University team and the Hebron University team. They will also play in Tulkarem, in the northwest of the West Bank, and Abu Dis, next to the Separation Wall east of Jerusalem. In Hebron, the amateur footballers will also have the opportunity to witness the effects of the Israeli occupation in Hebron's old city.

The team is formed of a group of British youth who have come to the occupied Palestinian territories to demonstrate their solidarity with the Palestinian people. The 'Easton Cowboys' wish to raise political awareness about the Palestinian issue, Al-Qawasmi explained. The team is concerned about social injustice worldwide and has previously visited Mexico, Morocco and Germany, amongst other countries.

The British team met with the vice president of the Palestinian football union, George Ghattas, on Thursday, who explained to them the situation facing Palestinian sports, especially football. Khalid Al-Saifi, from Ibda' cultural centre, and several athletes and media people also welcomed the British team on Thursday.