Issam Khalidi
The issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, which have been entrenched by the occupation, is regarded as one of the greatest challenges Palestinians face overall. A disaster of this magnitude does not contain only the confiscation of land and water and the acts of terrorism perpetrated on Palestinian citizens by Israeli settlers on a regular basis, but have also included settlements having sports clubs that participate in the Israeli Football Association’s League.
There has been a stalling on the part of FIFA for a long time with regard to its decision regarding these settlement clubs. Having openly declared its neutrality on the issue, it is openly violating its internal regulations, as well as disregarding international laws that prohibit the settlements and the clubs located within them from operating.
Over the years, at least eight football clubs have developed or have been identified as playing in Israeli colonial settlements of the occupied West Bank. Israeli clubs, many of which have exhibited racism towards the Palestinian people and players over the years, are integrated in the Israeli Football Association (IFA). A ninth club, based inside Israel, plays some home games in a settlement.[1]
In accordance with Article 64.2 of FIFA's statutes, a member association and its clubs are not permitted to play on the territory of another member association without the latter's approval. [2]
FIFA’s Israeli affiliate, the Israel Football Association conducts business in unlawful settlements that are off-limits to Palestinians. The football competitions in the settlements provide services and part-time jobs to settlers, making the settlements more sustainable, and, because of the discriminatory restrictions that the Israeli authorities impose, they do so on a discriminatory basis, allowing Israeli but not Palestinian players and spectators to participate. [3]
2013 - 2017
In 2013, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) brought a complaint to FIFA against Israeli teams playing matches in settlements in the West Bank under the auspices of the Israel Football Association (IFA), including Ma’aleh Adumim, Kiryat Arba, Givat Zeev, Bikat Hayarden and Ariel.
At the 65th FIFA Congress in Zurich in May 2015, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) sought to suspend Israel's membership in FIFA. However, PFA President Jibril Rajoub withdrew the proposal just minutes before it was to be put to a vote. Instead, FIFA voted on an amendment proposing the formation of a committee to monitor the movement of Palestinian footballers, Israeli racism, and the status of Israeli league teams based in illegal Jewish settlements in the West Bank. In the immediate aftermath of the Congress, Tokyo Sexwale, an activist in the African National Congress and a former South African minister, was appointed to serve as a member of the committee to investigate and advise on the following issues: Israeli restrictions on Palestinian players' movement in the Israeli league as well as West Bank settlement clubs playing in the Israeli league. [4]
In this regard, Israeli scholar Yair Galily claims that the Palestinians only had limited success in raising attention to their 2015 claims against Israel through the attempt to suspend Israel from FIFA – the issue did not receive extensive coverage by the foreign press (only 36 articles were found in the six newspapers examined for this study over a period of about three-and-a-half months), and the coverage was only slightly pro-Palestinian (almost neutral) in terms of the ability of both sides to present their arguments in the coverage. [5] Perhaps this is true, but Galily ignores just how much influence the Zionist lobby has on several organizations, including FIFA. In addition, the double standard that FIFA applies to issues such as the Palestinian one, as well as the inaction of the Arab lobby within FIFA, do not substantiate his claim.
The 66th Congress in Mexico extended the mandate of the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine, which was set up by the 65th FIFA Congress in 2015. In light of the ongoing political conflict, Sexwale stressed the difficulty of the task. He stressed that FIFA does not seek to resolve the political conflict but rather advocate for "Give football a chance," as is the case in other countries around the world.[6]
Pressure has steadily grown on FIFA to reach a decision after a number of delays and broken commitments over the last year. FIFA initially promised to resolve the issue by May 2016, then by October, then by January 2017. But every time it has postponed a decision.[7]
After
more delays, Tokyo Sexwale presented his long-awaited report on March 22, 2017, to the FIFA monitoring committee. The report provided the FIFA council
meeting on May 9 with three options for dealing with settlement clubs and
strongly insists on the need for the FIFA congress to make a decision. The three options presented by Sexwale are: (1) maintaining
the status quo; (2) giving the IFA six months to rectify the situation by
“desisting to administer football in the territories in question”; and (3)
continuing negotiations and leaving it up to the two sides to agree.[8]
There are a number of obvious flaws with options
1 and 3, which Sexwale himself recognizes. Option 1 would endorse the violation
of the FIFA statutes by the settlement clubs and renege on FIFA’s obligation
under international law, thus undermining FIFA’s basic integrity. Option 3 is
not only futile, since negotiations to find a compromise have already been
tried and failed, but illegitimate since respect for FIFA’s rules should not be
subject to negotiations, just as in football itself.[9]
The logical conclusion from reading Sexwale’s
report is that Option 2 is the only one that should be put forward for
endorsement by the congress. And indeed, this represents the best means of
resolving the fate of settlement clubs. The only objection Sexwale’s report
raise is the concern that Israeli authorities could take retaliatory steps to
frustrate Palestinian football. But it is up to the Palestinian Football
Association to decide whether it is ready to take that risk, and the PFA has
chosen to demand that FIFA enforce the rules rather than accept the continued
violation of its rights under the FIFA Statutes.
Sexwale made an important point that “Option 2”
is “in line with the Crimean resolution in respect of Russia because FIFA must
be seen to be acting even-handedly.” A similar situation did indeed occur as a
result of Russia’s attempt to integrate Crimean teams within the Russian league
system following its annexation of the peninsula in 2014. But FIFA’s response
actually was more intransigent in that case. Unlike the six-month deadline that
Israel could potentially face, Russia was compelled to immediately exclude the
Crimean clubs from its league.[10]
Israeli pushback rests on two dubious claims.
First, Israeli officials argue that FIFA’s territorial rules don’t apply to the
settlement clubs since the Palestinians do not have permanent borders and the
territory on which the settlement teams are located is in fact “disputed”
rather than “occupied.” Second, they claim that the Palestinians are mixing
politics with football by pushing for the exclusion of settlement teams. These
two claims have been thoroughly debunked elsewhere, and the overwhelming international
consensus is that the West Bank—including the settlements—is occupied
Palestinian territory, not part of Israel. The UN General Assembly, the UN
Security Council, the International Court of Justice, and the International
Criminal Court all share this position.[11]
The 67th FIFA Congress in Manama in
2017, followed the proposal of the FIFA Council with regard to the motion
submitted by the Palestinian Football Association – “a request for official
recognition of the Palestinian Football Association’s entitlements to all of
its rights as described in the FIFA Statutes”. The FIFA Congress approved, with
73% of valid votes, the following proposal: “Considering that the matter is not
a Congress competence but a Council competence, that a consolidated report of
the monitoring committee is not yet ready, and that more time is needed to
evaluate the situation and to take a decision, the Council proposes to the
Congress not to vote on the proposal of the Palestinian Football Association
and to give time to the Council to take a decision before the end of March
2018.”[12]
At
this Congress FIFA decided to again postpone a decision on the status of the
illegal settlement clubs following Israeli pressure. The controversy around
this delay prompted the Palestine Football Association (PFA) to file an appeal
with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) against FIFA's decision not to
vote on the PFA's motion calling for recognition of its rights, all in
accordance with FIFA's statutes. The appeal was registered by CAS on 13 June,
2017, and CAS announced that the case will be heard on 27 November, with a
verdict expected in the weeks that follow.[13]
Andreas Zimmermann, professor of international law at the University of
Potsdam, Germany, points out that the jurisprudence of the Court of Arbitration
for Sport ('CAS'), as well as FIFA's own practice, as evidence that FIFA is
defining territory under its Statutes by reference to international law.
Accordingly, Israeli settlement clubs playing on occupied Palestinian territory
without PFA’s consent violate Art. 72, para. 2 FIFA Statutes. Furthermore,
FIFA’s tolerance of settlement clubs implicitly recognizes Israeli settlements,
and thus violates FIFA’s duty to respect the Palestinian’s right to
self-determination under Art. 3 FIFA Statutes. [14]
On October 27, 2017, the FIFA Council
announced its decision not to take any action on the issue of settler clubs
playing in the occupied territories. [15] This came after the FIFA Monitoring
Committee submitted its final report, chaired by Tokyo Sexwale. Shortly before
Sexwale submitted his report to the FIFA Council, a group of South African
figures sent him a letter criticizing him for his failure to take a firm stance
to date and for his delay in resolving the issue. The letter urged Sexwale to
remember his struggle against injustice and stand with FIFA's statutes. [16]
FIFA representatives met in Kolkata, India, and cited the “exceptional complexity and sensitivity” and “political” nature of the subject. It has been stated by FIFA that "given that the final status of the West Bank territories is the responsibility of the competent international public law authorities, the FIFA Council agrees that FIFA, as a member of the FIFA Council, shall remain neutral in political matters, as stated in its Statutes."[17]
“Furthermore, it was agreed that any interference by FIFA in the status quo of football in the relevant territories without the consent of the parties concerned might aggravate the situation of football not only in the territories in question, but also in the greater region affected – which would not be in the best interests of the game.”[18]
The late South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, "If you are neutral in the face of injustice, you have chosen to stand with the oppressor." In fact, neutrality is a colonial tactic that enables control and sustains domination. It is well known that neutrality allows the status quo to persist, thus enshrining the existence of these settlements as a fait accompli. Because of the neutrality of many Western organizations, such as FIFA, Israel has been able to maintain and perpetuate its policy of dominance and expansion in occupied Palestine, as well as to commit the genocide in Gaza.
The PFA Renews its Call after the
Genocide
Jibril
Rjoub, the president of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), called for
Israel to be expelled from the FIFA in May 2024. The PFA made this proposal
based on the fact that FIFA statutes were being violated, particularly in light
of the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The PFA has accused the Israeli Football
Association (IFA) of holding matches on occupied Palestinian territory, racial
discrimination, political interference, and systematic destruction of PFA
facilities as well as holding matches in the occupied Palestinian West Bank.
The PFA’s proposal was submitted in March 2024.
In May 2024, the FIFA Council reiterated that “football should never become hostage to politics and always remain a vector for peace; a source of hope; a force of good. Uniting people rather than dividing.”
In fact, sports have always been associated with politics. As a matter of fact, sports outside of politics and isolation are rare indeed. Sport and politics overlap in many cases, to the extent that it is difficult to separate them from one another, especially in cases like the Palestinian one. The problem is not mixing sports with politics, but rather abandoning humanitarian principles to preserve personal interests. As well as boasting about moral values without putting these values into practice. FIFA calls for adherence and respect for the law while at the same time it is corrupt and dishonest.[19]
As a result of this proposal, FIFA rejected the Palestinian Football Association’s request for an immediate vote on expelling Israel. FIFA rejected this request because an independent legal assessment of the proposal would be needed. The FIFA Council was scheduled to review that assessment in July 2024. However, there have been several postponements, and the FIFA Council meeting was pushed back to October 3, 2024.
A FIFA Disciplinary Committee decided to launch an investigation into the “alleged” discrimination offense raised by the Palestine Football Association in its complaint. To investigate the issue of Israeli football teams “allegedly” based on Palestinian territory participating in Israeli competitions, FIFA’s Governance, Audit and Compliance Committee was entrusted with the task of producing a report for the FIFA Council on the matter.
A year later, during the 75th FIFA Congress held in Paraguay, on May 15, 2025, Susan Shalabi, vice president of the Palestine Football Association and a member of the Asian Football Confederation's executive committee, urged FIFA leaders not to wait another year, but to act immediately.
“Let’s not keep passing the bucket from one committee to another while football in Palestine is being erased. All we are asking for is a clear update on the status of the matter and an exact date in which the investigation will be concluded,” she said. Shalabi asked FIFA to set a one-month deadline for the governance panel to report back to the ruling council chaired by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. In her powerful speech Shalabi said “Our issue is stuck in a highly politicized process…Visible, undeniable, but sadly ignored.” [20]
FIFA took 16 months from May 2024 to October 2025 to issue a statement concerning the PFA's proposal for Israel to be expelled from FIFA, as well as the Israeli settlement clubs in the West Bank. The FIFA Council, the organization’s top decision-making body, holding its penultimate meeting of the year, failed to address either a potential ban on Israel from the international game or the issue of settlement clubs in the West Bank, first raised by the Palestinian FA (PFA) in 2013.[21]
Instead, Infantino and his Council offered a message of peace. Infantino said: “At FIFA, we are committed to using the power of football to bring people together in a divided world. Our thoughts are with those who are suffering in the many conflicts that exist around the world today, and the most important message that football can convey right now is one of peace and unity. FIFA cannot solve geopolitical problems, but it can and must promote football around the world by harnessing its unifying, educational, cultural and humanitarian values.”[22]
In fact, if FIFA really cared about those suffering in the many conflicts taking place today around the world, it would have issued a statement about the destruction of the sports infrastructure and the killing of hundreds of athletes in Gaza.
How can
football convey a message of peace and unity in a world where the entire sports
infrastructure has been destroyed and hundreds of athletes and players have
been killed, most recently Suleiman al-Obeid, the “Pele of Palestine”? It is
unclear what kind of peace Infantino is referring to when his words contradict
the position he put forward in his previous statements. It has been previously
stated by him that football is a means of combating racial discrimination,
violence, and riots, as well as a means of establishing human rights, equality,
and justice in the world. [23]
In an ironic turn of events, on one hand, FIFA had paid attention to the workers' conditions and to the state of Qatar's sports facilities ahead of the 2022 World Cup. It criticized the United States decision in 2017 to impose a travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, and expressed "humanitarian sympathy" towards Ukraine, its "civilized", blue-eyed neighbor. On the other hand, FIFA never contacted the administrations of the destroyed clubs in Gaza as of today. It has not released any statements condemning the destruction of the sports infrastructure and the killing of Palestinian athletes.[24]
The Palestinian Football Association’s chief legal adviser, Dr. Kat Vilarev, accused FIFA and UEFA of violating their own statutes and international human rights obligations by refusing to expel Israel from global competitions, despite what she described as “mounting genocide evidence” documented by reputable international bodies. “Given the complicity of Israeli sports institutions in the Gaza genocide, FIFA and UEFA are legally bound to act,” Vilarev said. “Their statutes, human rights policies and disciplinary codes require them to align with the U.N. Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. FIFA, in particular, has a legal duty to respect and protect internationally recognized human rights.”[25]
“Israeli athletes are soldiers, and some publicly call for Gaza’s destruction,” she said. “Israeli clubs and associations openly back occupation forces and even hold matches on occupied Palestinian land. That directly aids illegal settlements and the occupation.”[26] She added that some Israeli settlers competing for clubs in the occupied West Bank are committing war crimes under international law. “Forcibly displaced Palestinians have seen their lands seized for settlements and football clubs built atop them. Any state can prosecute FIFA and UEFA presidents for facilitating crimes against humanity through inaction,” she said.[27]
Israeli Settlements and their clubs against the
International Law
In July 2024, the UN’s highest court declared that Israel’s settlements in occupied Palestinian territories, including the West Bank, are in breach of international law. The 15-judge panel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s 57-year occupation of Palestinian land. By 11 votes to four, the court “is of the opinion that the state of Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful”, and that it should come to an end “as rapidly as possible”, the ICJ heard. [28]
“Such
integration and conduct within the IFA amounts to recognizing as legal the
situation arising from the unlawful presence of Israel in the occupied
Palestinian territory. This is in stark violation of international law, as
reiterated by the International Court of Justice in its Advisory Opinion of 19
July 2024, that stressed that the transfer of Israeli settlers to the West
Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Israel’s maintenance of their presence, is
in violation of the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people and
Israel’s obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention,” the experts said.[29]
In October 2024, UN experts stated that FIFA
must respect and demand respect for international law from Israeli football
clubs, UN experts said. Over the years, at least eight football clubs have
developed or have been identified as playing in Israeli colonial settlements of
the occupied West Bank. Israeli clubs, many of which have exhibited racism
towards the Palestinian people and players over the years, are integrated in
the Israeli Football Association (IFA). A ninth club, based inside Israel,
plays some home games in a settlement.
Amnesty International has sent a letter to FIFA and UEFA calling on them to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) from their tournaments until it excludes clubs based in illegal settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT) from continuing to play in Israel’s football leagues. “As Israel’s national football team gears up for World Cup qualifiers against Norway and Italy, Israel continues to perpetrate genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Over 800 athletes, players and sports officials are among the more than 65,000 people Israeli forces have killed in a deliberate campaign of wholesale devastation, forced displacement and starvation of civilians,” said Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s Secretary General. At the same time, Israel is brutally expanding its illegal settlements and legitimizing illegal outposts in the West Bank as part of its unlawful occupation of Palestinian Territory. It is nothing short of a disgrace that the IFA is still allowing clubs from these settlements to keep playing in its leagues, after multiple warnings for more than a decade.” [30]
The United Nations Security Council, the United Nations General Assembly, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the International Court of Justice and the High Contracting Parties to the Convention have all affirmed that the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the Israeli-occupied territories. Numerous UN resolutions and prevailing international opinion hold that Israeli settlements are a violation of international law, including UN Security Council resolutions 446 in 1979, 478 in 1980, and 2334 in 2016. In 2014, 126 Representatives at the reconvened Conference of the High Contracting Parties to the Geneva Conventions declared the settlements illegal, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross. [31]
On the whole, therefore, there is a uniform position taken by the international community at large that the territory in question does not constitute Israeli territory, but rather occupied Palestinian territory, which should then also inform, as will subsequently be shown, the practice of FIFA.[32]
In that regard it ought to be already noted that FIFA has already in the past consistently followed the practice of the organs of the United Nations, even where there was – contrary to the situation prevailing in the case at hand – much less of a consensus within the international community as to the underlying legal situation under international law. [33] It must be noted, however, that FIFA today no longer consults with the UN and refuses to listen to the UN, international law and human rights organizations. [34]
In particular, in 1976 the South African Football Association was formally expelled from FIFA after the Credentials Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations had determined that the then minority government of South Africa was not representative of the overall population of South Africa. FIFA did so despite the fact that many member States of the United Nations had then considered this decision of the General Assembly to be controversial, as not being compatible with the Charter of the United Nations, and as circumventing the prerogatives of the Security Council under Articles 5 and 6 the Charter.[35]
This stands in contrast to the situation at hand where all main organs of the United Nations, i.e. the Secretary General, the General Assembly, the Security Council, as well as the International Court of Justice, have, as shown, unanimously taken the position that the territory in question constitutes occupied Palestinian territory. It accordingly stands to reason that there are even better reasons for FIFA to once again follow the practice of the United Nations, as being representative of the view of the by far overwhelming majority of its members.[36]
Mixing sports with politics
Throughout history, there has never been any separation between sport and politics or other aspects such as economics or culture that affect it in any way. It is impossible for sports to exist outside of politics. There are many different aspects of sport that are inherently national or political (country names, flags, chants, national anthems, expressions of national pride, patriotic pride, sacrifices, etc.).
Today, we see FIFA and the Zionists repeating the phrase "sports have nothing to do with politics." The former is trying to justify its clear bias towards the Zionist lobby through its neutral stance on the participation of Israeli settlement teams in the Israeli Football Association league and the genocide in Gaza. Meanwhile, the latter just wants to justify its arbitrary practices against Palestinian sports, claiming that Palestinians are mixing politics with sport by pressing for the exclusion of settlement teams from the league.
It is important to note that sport is a tool that is used by humans for various purposes, whether it is competitive, health-related, ethical, national, political, ideological, or any other purpose imaginable. Its effectiveness depends on how it is used. It could be used as a double-edged sword that can have positive and negative effects.
Since the British mandate, Zionists have criticized Arabs for mixing sport with politics. And they repeat it today. It was in their interest to use sport for their national and political objectives, but they opposed it when it reached a point where it posed a threat to their goals. As part of its strategy during the Mandate period, the Zionist movement exploited sport in order to achieve its goals. A major part of this was achieved through the dominance of the sports movement in Palestine, the marginalization of Arabs, and the representation of Palestine as Jewish on the local and regional sporting landscape.
To conceal its true nature, the paramilitary Betar organization of the 1920s (whose fans today chant for the death of Arabs during football matches) pretended to be a sports organization in order to conceal its true intentions during that era. During the Arab Revolt of 1936, Jewish sports teams maintained close ties with the British government as a means of suppressing the uprising. It is also important to note that Jewish sports organizations maintain close ties with Zionist paramilitary terrorist organizations, including the Haganah, Palmach, Irgun, Lehi, and Stern Gang.
It should be noted that the main problem lies not in the mixing of sports with politics, but in the combination of sports and politics as a means for deception. As a matter of fact, deception has been a fundamental part of the Zionist mentality and tradition for a long time, even from the days of the first Zionist leaders up until the present. In this regard, Moshe Sharett, Israel's first foreign minister, said, "I have learned that the State of Israel cannot be ruled in our time except through deception and adventurism."
Israel has always had a nightmare when it comes to Palestinian sport; it views it as something Palestinians can celebrate as a political achievement and sees it as a source of great pride for them. Israel has always obstructed efforts to develop Palestinian sports, which it deems an emerging type of weapon. Through sport Palestinian youth are also highlighted by the Palestinian flag and name on local, Arab, and international stages as a symbol of their national identity.
It has always been FIFA's policy to keep politics out of sports, but after the Ukraine war, this policy has disappeared. However, during the Gaza genocide, this slogan was repeated numerous times. Today, FIFA, however, appears to be using sports for political purposes, as evidenced by the increasing sycophancy that its president has shown towards President Donald Trump over the past year. It culminated in the presentation of him with an award recognizing his contribution to peace.
As far
as the Israeli Palestinian conflict, FIFA is clear that it is determined not to
expel Israel, to exempt it from punishment, and to use its "neutral"
stance on the Israeli Palestinian conflict as a political tool.
The neutrality of FIFA is complicity
The neutrality of FIFA has been adaptable when compared to its reaction concerning various geopolitical crises. In 2022, its decision to suspend Russia due to the Ukraine invasion as it would not allow it to compete was justified as a necessary measure. However, its persistent silence on the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the political fallout of Israeli military actions stands in contrast, with no equivalent sanctions or exclusions. Such a discrepancy implies that FIFA is not politically involved based on principle, but it is based on context and convenience.[37]
While FIFA said it “must remain
neutral with regard to political matters,” it has in fact made a political
decision not to sanction Israel, effectively legitimizing the settlements and
opting not to apply its own rules when it was politically inconvenient to do
so. FIFA's decision also ignores the obvious precedent of the Crimean clubs,
which were barred from competing in Russian leagues following Russia's
annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.[38]
During the previous years FIFA used face-to-the-crowd campaigns against racism and discrimination, which frequently involved the use of slogans and symbolic gestures during a tournament ceremony. Nevertheless, the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States was a clear change. Where once stood the once-famous Say No to Racism message, there is now the less specific Football Unites the World, a change advocacy groups believe was purposeful to evade tension with host government messages.[39]
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has told the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session sport must retain its political neutrality and be the standard-bearer of global unity in a world of “extreme aggression and division”.[40]
“I know that there are decisions which are not easy to take: difficult decisions. But in taking these decisions, we always have to obstruct any political stance. Sometimes even personal positions and opinions, and put the values of sport on top. So, we have to avoid populism, we have to avoid demagogy, and we have to embrace our values which have made the history of all of our sports in the last hundred or more years. Respect, tolerance, inclusion, no discrimination, and unity, even if this is sometimes not so easy.[41]
If FIFA was truly concerned and sincere about football worldwide, if it truly wanted football to serve humanity, if it truly respected and obeyed its statutes, it would have at least issued a statement condemning the destruction of sports infrastructure and the killing machine Israel has wrought on the Palestinian people. FIFA does not seem to be respecting the rules and regulations that it has enshrined in its constitution. Rather than bragging about democracy, equality, and human rights, FIFA needs to put them into reality by practicing them instead of talking about them.
The genocide in Gaza was a disaster on so many levels. As part of this network of levels, we talk about the infrastructure of the economic system, the health system, the educational system, the social system, and the athletic system. Additionally, it is about the hopes, ambitions, and aspirations of Palestinians. In essence, it is a deliberate attempt to erase the past, the present, and the future of the whole Palestinian population.
As a response to the request for the reconstruction of sporting facilities destroyed by Israeli bombing on the Gaza Strip by the Palestinian Olympic Committee at the time, the International Olympic Committee expressed its sympathy for the many innocent victims of the ongoing conflict in the region and their families.
However, it has not commented on the request. Neither FIFA nor the International Olympic Committee considers Palestine’s occupation, ethnic cleansing, or genocide. Instead, they see it as a war between equals.
The Palestinian cause has become one of the most important compass points for determining the moral status of countries and institutions around the globe. As a result of the genocide of the Palestinians in Gaza, any doubts about the fact that the West is utterly racist and utterly hypocritical have been removed, and if there was ever any doubt about that fact before, no longer exist.
Over the last few decades, Arab nations have been criticized by the West for their inability to respect their own constitutions. There has always been criticism of their violations of human rights, including women's rights. However, the events in Gaza indicate that, when it comes to Israel, the West's principles about humanity and human rights including women’s rights remain frozen without being applied. As a result of the events in Palestine and in particular the genocide in Gaza, hidden truths have been exposed and many have become aware of the falsity of Western claims about democracy and human rights.
The Gaza genocide has proven several things: that moral standards may never have existed to begin with; that if they did, they may no longer hold any value or urgency; or that they may simply be words confined to constitutions, statutes, and textbooks assigned to college students.
The
genocide in Gaza has sparked a revolution in the political and moral
consciousness of the international community, particularly in the West. Today,
the Palestinians are gaining widespread support around the world as there is
widespread sympathy for their just cause. It extends beyond the sympathy the
world showed for South Africans' struggle during the apartheid regime, which
many South Africans have noted.
Endnotes
[2] Arbitration CAS
2020/A/7342 Club X. v. C. & Fédération Internationale de Football
Association (FIFA), award of 31 May 2021.
TAS xxx
[3] Political football: FIFA
sponsoring soccer matches in illegal settlements on stolen Palestinian land,
rights group says - Salon.com
A lot
of money is involved, too. Financial documents, the rights the Human Rights
Watch said, show that the Israel Football Association “is engaging in business
activity that supports the settlements.” Settlement soccer clubs give jobs to
settlers, “thus propping up a system that exists through serious human rights
violations.” Moreover, the settlement clubs provide the Israel Football
Association and FIFA with revenue from ticket sales and broadcasting rights.
FIFA, the Israeli Football Association and settlement soccer clubs are all
nonprofit associations. But Human Rights Watch noted that, according to a
report conducted by the author of the United Nations Guiding Principles on
Business and Human Rights, FIFA “engages in substantial commercial activity.”
[5] Yair Galily, (PDF) From terror to public diplomacy: Jibril Rajoub and the Palestinian Authorities’ uses of sport in fragmentary Israeli– Palestinian conflict
[13] Ignoring its Own Rules and International
Law, FIFA Opts to Support Israeli Settlements | Institute for Palestine Studies
[14] Andreas Zimmermann,
Legal status of Israeli football clubs located in the occupied Palestinian
territory and ensuing legal consequences for FIFA, University of Potsdam,
Germany. P. iii.
[30] Global: Amnesty
International calls on FIFA and UEFA to suspend Israeli Football Association -
Amnesty International
[32] Ibid,
[33] Ibid,
[34] Issam Khalidi, One Hundred Years of Football in Palestine (Amman: Dar al-Shorook 2013)
p. 106.
As evidence, when the
Palestine Football Association, headquartered in Gaza City, applied for
membership in 1964, FIFA sent a letter to the Palestinian Football Association
informing it that one problem had arisen: determining the precise status of the
Gaza Strip. Upon receiving a response from the United Nations, FIFA hoped to
submit the application to the appropriate committee, but this would not happen
until the end of February 1965. In March 1965, Dr. Keiser, FIFA's secretary
general, received a letter from the United Nations in which UN officials
explained that, according to the Armistice Agreement signed between Israel and
Egypt in Rhodes in February 1949, Gaza was "territory under the
administration" of Egypt (at that time the United Arab Republic). This is
not a discussion of Palestinian membership; rather, it is intended to highlight
the fact that FIFA took into account the decisions and conclusions of the
United Nations on matters related to the Palestinian issue, even if these were
sometimes unfair.
[35] Andreas Zimmermann, p.
9
[36] Andreas Zimmermann, p.
9 – 10.
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