The Press Release copied below, gives the text of the Open Letter in Saturday’s Guardian calling for FIFA to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) at the FIFA annual congress in Zurich on 28-29 May 2015. Signatories are former UN Special Rapporteur Richard Falk, Palestinian refugees’ champion Salman Abu Sita and a number of progressive writers, film makers, politicians and activists including Breyten Breytenbach, Noam Chomsky and Ronnie Kasrils.
Their intervention comes on the same day as a call from FIFA President Sepp Blatter for a concession by Israel towards the Palestinian FA. Speaking to reporters Mr. Blatter declared that “a solution is only a realistic proposition when those who are privileged are prepared to concede something and contribute to equality.”
Blatter will seek such a concession when he visits Israeli PM Netanyahu on 20th May and Palestinian PM Abbas on 21st May. But Israel does not seem minded to compromise. Earlier this week details emerged of the huge diplomatic campaign being mounted by Israel to scupper the effort to secure its suspension at FIFA’s upcoming annual Congress. Haaretz reports that talks have been held with sports ministers and football association heads in over 200 countries. The subject matter has included “incriminating information” on the alleged involvement of Palestinian footballers in terrorism and assertions that the Palestinians are only taking a political stand – totally ignoring the fact that the Palestinian’s stand is centred on human rights.
The Israelis do not acknowledge that several leading Palestinian players have been detained for long periods on the basis of secret “evidence” and amid claims of mistreatment amounting to torture. The most famous of these, Mahmoud Sarsak, was freed in 2012 after an international campaign to which Mr Blatter gave his support. Last year Israel’s Sports Minister declared that the detained striker Sameh Maraabe had acted as a clandestine courier for Hamas, but he was subsequently released without charge.
The Red Card Israeli Racism campaign believes that Israel could avert punishment in the sporting world if only it would devote itself to genuine reform rather than spreading malicious narratives that it is not prepared to test in open court.
PFA President Jibril Rajoub said last Monday that their initiative comes “after nearly three years of a failed mechanism to secure meaningful and substantial commitments from the Israeli side, where oppression and discrimination against Palestinian sports… have remained unchanged.”
Press Release issued on 16 May 2015
The following Open Letter has been published May 17, 2015 in support of the Palestinian call for suspension of the Israeli FA at FIFA’s Annual Congress on 28-29 May 2015. It is signed by eminent human rights advocates comprising members of the committee of the Russell Tribunal on Palestine, Patrons of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and others.
We call on Fifa to suspend the Israel Football Association | Letters | World news | The Guardian
Text of letter:
The Palestinian Football Association will present a motion to Fifa’s annual congress on 28-29 May, calling for the suspension of the Israel FA. We urge delegates to pass the motion. Palestine took to the pitch at January’s Asian Cup to standing ovations from football fans of all nations. Their very appearance at the tournament was a heroic achievement in light of the obstacles faced by the team. No thanks are due to the IFA. It has stood shoulder to shoulder with Israel’s murderous regime while Palestinian footballers have been shot, beaten, bombed, and incarcerated along with their fellow citizens. And its only response to the day-to-day obstruction of travel, tournaments and the development of facilities has been to repeat the much-abused mantra of “security concerns”.
The IFA welcomes teams from illegal settlements into its leagues and competitions. It has racially segregated part of its national children’s league, incurring legal action. It has never once disciplined Beitar Jerusalem FC for that club’s longstanding apparent ban on the hiring of Arab players, or taken serious action to curb the notorious anti-Arab violence of its supporters. Two years of diplomacy have failed to secure change, and Fifa must now take punitive action in defence of its humanitarian ethos. Its 30-year exclusion of South Africa from its ranks provides a precedent for the action that is required. The lesson, surely, is that there can be no “positive engagement” with apartheid – only principled opposition.
Fifa owes it to all Palestinians to uphold their right to fully access football by supporting the call from the Palestinian FA for suspension of the IFA.
Signed:
John Berger
Rodney Bickerstaffe
Breyten Breytenbach
Noam Chomsky
Richard Falk
Pat Gaffney
Rev. Garth Hewitt
Ronnie Kasrils
Aki Kaurismaki
Bruce Kent
Ken Loach
Michael Mansfield
Miriam Margolyes
John Pilger
Sir Bob Russell
Salman Abu Sita
Ahdaf Soueif
Baroness Jenny Tonge
Benjamin Zephaniah
Yay!
Sanctions now! Sideline ’em! Boycott their games! Thanks so much for this and for the great graphic, Stephanie Westbrook!
Kate has posted many articles on this subject, and Bornajoo kindly posted Gideon Levy’s latest, “Time for FIFA to show Israel the red card”, yesterday:
“The truth must be told from the outset: I hope Israel is suspended from FIFA. On May 29, a move might be made that could become a game changer. It could start a chain reaction whose end is hard to predict. If soccer’s governing body shows Israel a red card, as the Palestinians demand, it could mean that soccer becomes the source of transformation.
It would mean the time has finally come for Israel to pay for the crimes of its occupation. That Israelis begin to be penalized for what is done in their name, with their involvement, their agreement and their funding. That Israel’s continued breaking of international law – arrogantly and crudely thumbing its nose at it – has a price. And what better price than banning Israel from international soccer games until it changes its conduct? It worked amazingly well in the past with Israel’s mentor in a number of areas, South Africa – the international boycott of apartheid sports was one of the decisive elements that led to the fall of the regime – and it could work with Israel as well.
The first response to any decision to suspend Israel will, of course, be Israel calling foul, playing the victim, unifying the ranks and launching a counterattack: look what they’re doing to us, those anti-Semites, those Israel haters; we are a nation that dwells alone, the whole world is against us! Of course, use will be made of the memory of the Holocaust. Politicians and wheeler-dealers will try to outdo each other with outraged statements. Zionist Union chairman MK Isaac Herzog will announce that, in such matters, there is no opposition and coalition, just one people. Israel will declare Palestinian soccer illegal by dint of an Israel Defense Forces general’s directive: every boy with a soccer ball will be arrested; perhaps a stadium in Gaza will be bombarded on the grounds that it is a weapons storehouse; Palestinian soccer chief Jibril Rajoub’s office in Ramallah will be flattened (not for the first time).
The Czech Republic and Canada will suggest holding friendlies against Israel; Shimon Peres will organize a game between Micronesia and the Palestinians.
But a few months after that, dried out and discouraged, without international soccer or an international diplomatic horizon, questions and doubts will arise. What can Israel do to return from Devil’s Island? Why did they really do all that to it? And, above all, was it worth it? Is it worth continuing the occupation and paying the price, which will only continue to grow? Are the settlements of Itamar and Yitzhar worth being ostracized over?
The sanctions and bans won’t stop at Zurich: FIFA will sound the opening whistle, which some of the world is just waiting for.
Then, when the price becomes intolerable, more and more Israelis will awaken from their indifference. There’s no chance they’ll do this beforehand: they have no reason to – life is good, society is in denial and brains are washed.
A soccer ban doesn’t kill anyone. A boycott spills no blood. It is a legitimate weapon to establish justice and apply international law. Israel supported and supports boycotts, and encourages them: against Hamas, against Gaza, and, of course, against Iran. It even joined the boycott against South Africa, albeit in spite of itself. Now its turn has come.
Can anyone deny that it has been shown the yellow card countless times and continued as if nothing had happened? Should it not be shown a red card over the imprisoning of millions of Gazans, including Gaza’s soccer players?
Does FIFA President Sepp Blatter remember the soccer player whose brilliant future he predicted – Mohammed al-Qatari, from the Al-Amari camp, a student at the Blatter Soccer Academy in Ramallah? Does he know Qatari was killed by an IDF bullet straight to the chest from 70 meters away, while protesting the last war in Gaza? Was that not a crime?
Israel is now wearing its insulted and shocked diplomatic face and trying tirelessly to prevent the evil edict. It might even succeed this time, too. But isn’t it time we all asked, how much longer?”
http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.656746
– See more at: https://mondoweiss.mystagingwebsite.com/2015/05/israeli-military-protests#sthash.BcJs15ZF.dpuf
Ditto Truth2power and Just!
But once again, we do need to expect to be disappointed. It’s very, very unlikely that they will suspend them. In my previous life I’ve worked with fifa and unfortunately they are not as honourable and principled as they should be.
However if they do the right thing here, I will retract that statement and will finally believe they have changed their previous attitudes. Unfortunately the chances are very small. We need to remain realistic
Superb efforts RCIR!
LOL. Yes, please kick Israel out of this corrupt, horrible organization that destroys the economies of its host countries and includes human rights luminaries like the DPRK, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and many others. Another victory for Arab dictators, oops; I mean, “human rights” activists.
Ben White:
“Israel fears FIFA red card, as Palestinians’ campaign gains momentum
…Israel’s belated diplomatic offensive was kick-started on March 31, at a Ministry of Foreign Affairs-convened meeting with the IFA and military officials. After the meeting, “a classified message was sent to all Israeli ambassadors, calling for total mobilization”, with diplomats urged to “use their connections, and personal and professional skills in order to draw a line in the sand.”
The sense of panic has meant weekly government meetings “to review progress”, with “hundreds of diplomats at the ministry’s headquarters in Jerusalem and abroad” devoting time to the issue. On April 2, another classified message told Israeli diplomats “to meet with or talk by phone to government sports ministers and the respective heads of soccer federations.”
Israel’s PR messages are that the Palestinians are seeking to ‘politicise’ sport, as well as implicating Palestinian football players in ‘terrorism’, and attempts to smear Jibril Rajoub. Interestingly, Israel’s response has also included steps to address the Palestinians’ complaints, such as easing “as much as possible” the travel of players between Gaza and the West Bank.
FIFA has a history of suspending a number of members for various reasons, including South Africa in 1961, part of what became a widespread boycott of the apartheid regime until its collapse. Israel is now worried that suspension “could set a precedent that might encourage similar moves at other international organizations, accelerating the imposition of boycotts on Israel.”
With some in Israel describing the mere presence of the suspension request on the FIFA congress agenda as “an unprecedented Palestinian victory”, it is clear that whatever the result in Zurich – and Israel is certainly pulling out all the stops in its fightback – moves to hold Israel to account for its occupation and colonisation of Palestinian lands are gaining in frequency and prominence.”
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/blogs/politics/18602-israel-fears-fifa-red-card-as-palestinians-campaign-gains-momentum
Dave Zirin:
“Israel and Palestine Agree: Keep Politics Out of Soccer
We have before us a point of agreement between Netanyahu’s Israel and the militarily vivisected area of land at times referred to as the Palestinian territories: the idea that sports and politics should not mix. Tragically—not unlike words such as “life,” “liberty,” and that whole “pursuing happiness” thing—the phrase means far less as it journeys from abstraction to reality. …
…Both sides want to keep sports and politics separate, which makes this a fascinating look at what people mean when they make that kind of a plea. In sports it is very common to hear this sentiment from owners, media, and fans but it is rarely if ever used to critique the hyper-militarization of sporting events or the use of public funds to build stadiums (or, in a recently exposed synthesis, the use of public funds to celebrate the military). In other words, it is not sports and politics that they want to keep separate but sports and a certain kind of politics. “Keep sports and politics separate” morphs into code for ‘just shut up and play.'”
In this case, the Israeli Football Association is saying, “Do not use sports as a way to argue for statehood. Sports is not the place for that kind of rhetoric.” The Palestinian FA is saying, “We can’t compete because the politics of the Israeli occupation makes developing soccer a near-impossibility.” This is a very tough argument for the Israeli FA to win. If sports and politics were truly kept separate, then the Palestinian Football Authority would be able to travel freely, receive foreign visitors, and enter international tournaments without the fear of not being able to show up. As I’ve argued here many times, attacking the ability of Palestinian soccer to develop is also about attacking fun, play, and hope. While the Palestinian FA has facts on their side, no observer expects them to win 75 percent of the vote. But if Blatter even prevents this from even being raised on May 29, it would be an ugly gesture from an ugly individual. FIFA is hardly a moral force in this world, but soccer certainly can be. It is the closest thing we have to a united global obsession that links every country. FIFA’s sole organizational obligation is to make sure that everyone has a chance to play. What worries Netanyahu is that discussing this issue in soccer then becomes like pulling a thread on a sweater. If soccer is warped by occupation, then what about education, healthcare, or basic staples of civil society? That’s a question the Israeli FA is now scrambling to see unasked.”
http://m.thenation.com/blog/206905-israel-and-palestine-agree-keep-politics-out-soccer
( the “huge diplomatic campaign” link doesn’t work for me)
On schedule? Page Six quotes Kissinger saying, ‘In 10 years, there will be no more Israel’ but staffer denies it. (He allegedly said it in 2012.)