As FIFA’s upcoming Congress draws closer ahead of this summer’s World Cup, the relationship between Israel and Palestine has only gotten worse. Palestinian Football Association Chairman Jibril Rajoub says Palestine will be moving forward with their plans to seek sanctions against Israel when the Congress meets in San Paulo on June 9-10.
Speaking at the Soccerex Asian Forum on the Dead Sea on Tuesday, Rajoub said Palestine had made efforts; “we tried to change” but that Israel had not been cooperating with a Task Force established last year by FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Rajoub explained, “They cannot keep behaving like the neighbourhood bully, violating all the statutes of FIFA and the Olympic charter and rejecting any good intention either from UEFA, FIFA, the AFC, Palestinian FA or any other interested third party”.
According to Reuters, following the arrest of yet another Palestine footballer earlier this month (Sameh Moraebe, 22, which we reported here) and the unconscionable attack (and subsequent arrest) by Israeli forces on footballers Jawhar Nasser Jawhar, 19, and Adam Abd al-Raouf Halabiya, 17, Chairman Rajoub “gave little hope for improvement” between now and FIFA’s Congress:
“There have been two disastrous events. Last week our national team was in Qatar in camp preparing for the Asian Cup and when they came back the Israelis arrested one of the players and now he is in jail with no reason,” he said.
“I am sure they will release him in a week or two so why arrest him in the first place?
“The other event was the famous story that they shot and injured two athletes who had to go to Jordan for treatment for three months. Then they came back and arrested them,” Rajoub added.
“I don’t think that such a policy should pass without sanctions, without being punished.
But the final straw came when Israel sent a letter stating they were “ready to develop sport in Palestine”, but only under their purview!
Rajoub is also upset the Israelis recently sent a letter to Blatter which said: “We are ready to develop sport in Palestine but this should be done through our channels”.
It was the final straw for Rajoub who told Reuters: “That implies we were affiliated to Israel.
“It means they are not recognising the very existence of Palestinian sporting entity. This is the substance of the problem and for us I don’t think anything will happen.
London, UK, 1970 or possibly late 1969 (Graphic: African Activist Archive)
Rajoub continued; “It’s what happened in South Africa in the 1980s and 1990s. It means this is an excuse and I think this is enough for us to ask for sanctions”
It’s about time. Yes, it’s apartheid.
How odd that Palestinian FA should seek sanctions BEFORE PA goes to ICC. But one small step at a time, I guess. And maybe “sport” sanctions TODAY will catch Israeli attention in a different and more profound way than ICC condemnations of politicians DAY AFTER TOMORROW.
As I recall, South Africa at the time practiced apartheid in the realm of sports . Whites and blacks could not compete , or play on the same teams, which was a compelling argument for banning SA from international events. That’s not the situation in Israel.
I wonder when comedians are going to target Israeli apartheid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZjwCmJrnlY
Without question, the average Man On The Street in any country in the world except the US and Canada will have more interest in the Israel – Palestine – FIFA issue than in any number of TV spots, articles and op-eds about the Israeli mistreatment of Palestinians.
The worldwide media will cover the dispute and hopefully in doing so, will bring to light the general brutal Israeli treatment of the Palestinians in addition to those specific to soccer — although the story regarding the two Palestinian players maliciously having been shot in the legs will generate the most coverage.
The ADL reported today that 26% of the world’s population is anti-semitic. This is a striking result. I personally do not think that this is hatred or even dislike for all Jews; I think that it is based on an intense loathing for Israel because of the despicable and undemocratic strategies they have used to steal the Palestinian’s land and resources. There is a serious level of hostility against Jews because of this as discovered by the ADL, so I think that Israel should work fast to address the problem.