Palestinian association – new advance for sanctions against Israel

The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) had submitted an application for sanctions against Israel’s association to FIFA in 2024 – there is no decision about it a year later, the PFA now wants to demand it.

At the FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May 2024, there was a short but heated discussion through which the Middle East conflict suddenly was the focus of the world of football officials for a few minutes. The PFA had made an application that should lead to sanctions against Israel’s association ifa. The President of the Palestinian and Israeli Association kept speeches, there were several speeches of other associations until FIFA President Gianni Infantino the debate ended. Infantino pointed out that the congress, the assembly of all 211 member associations worldwide, was not responsible for the topic. The FIFA Council should decide.

The FIFA Council subsequently commissioned a legal analysis in early October 2024. Then the “Governance, audit– and Compliance-Commission “The FIFA commissioned in October 2024 to investigate a decisive allegation of the PFA: If an Israeli game is in the field of the Palestinian Association in West Bank in settlement areas, the answer to this politically sensitive question is pending a year after the application. 2.30 p.m. MESZ) in Paraguay’s capital Asunción.

What exactly does he demand Palestinian Association?

At the attack of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people were murdered, numerous others were kidnapped and sometimes held as hostages. Afterwards, Israel began a military offensive in the Gaza Strip with the aim of destroying Hamas and freeing the hostages. For months, however, there has been international criticism of a lack of proportionality of the fighting, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is considered catastrophic. The Ministry of Health in Gaza controlled by the Hamas now has more than 50,000 people killed. In the FIFA Congress, however, Israel’s military approach for PFA was only an occasion for the application, the details are primarily about topics such as the game in the Israeli settlements in West Bank.

Several human rights organizations see an illegal game occupied And asked FIFA to act in October 2024. The PFA now wants to achieve a decision in the congress to accelerate the process in the FIFA Council. In the application of the Palestinian Association, it is literally that you want to see a decision, “The FIFA Commission for Governance, Audit and Compliance is obliged to conclude their investigation of the illegal Israeli settlement associations in the occupied Palestinian areas so that the FIFA Council can make the final decision on this matter”.

So does an open coordination in the style of the United Nations come about at the FIFA Congress? FIFA did not comment on a corresponding request from the sports show for the exact process in the congress. According to the agenda, applications from member associations – the Palestinian is so far the only one – only “discussed” become. The Palestinian proposal of association chief Jibril Rajoub is signed. In addition to his work at the Football Association of General Secretary of the Central Committee, Rajoub is the Fatah in the West Bank and described the sport in an interview as “Part of our resistance”.

What does the Israeli association say about the allegations?

The Israeli Association has the claims of the PFA in the application as “unfounded” back. “We never violated a single FIFA rule and will never do this”the IFA announced at the request of the sports show. “Therefore, sanctions have and are never imposed on Israeli football. It is a shame that there are people who use the honorable stage of the FIFA congress to try to deceive many and good people. This will not work this time either.”

In the exchange of blows on stage at the Congress in Bangkok 2024, Israel’s association president Moshe Zuares referred to the Hamas terror of October 7, 2023. “In view of rape, abuse, murder and hostage -taking” be it “Unjust that we have to fight for our fundamental right to be part of the game”. Zuares has recently taken on an influential position, and has been a member of the UEFA Executive Committee since the UEFA Congress in Belgrade in April.

What is different compared to Russia?

At the UEFA Congress in Belgrade, Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin was asked with reference to the Gaza War, where the difference was between Russia and Israel. He replied: “If you talk about football, look at the tables. If you talk about politics, don’t ask me.” The statement shows how reluctant to play referees in political conflicts. In 2024, UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis said it in the UEFA “No discussion about an exclusion” Israel or even “The intention” Add to that. With a view to the currently still valid suspension of Russian teams, Theodoridis referred to the previous attack by Hamas in Israel “A completely different situation” than representing Russia.

A fundamentally decisive detail in the treatment of the two countries in football, the judgment of the International Sports Court CAS provides the suspension of Russia. It makes it clear that UEFA and FIFA Russia have never punished the war against Ukraine. Instead, the suspension of the Russian teams with security concerns and the endangerment of a smooth game operation and thus the integrity of the competition was justified. Because a double -digit number of European associations had announced in 2022 not to play against Russia because of the attack on Ukraine. Such a situation does not currently face Israel. Israel is not allowed to play his home games at home for security reasons, the games usually take place in Hungary.

How big is the backing in international Football for Israel?

In Europe there is a lot of support for the Israeli association, which, after being excluded from the Asian confederation, became a temporary UEFA member in 1991 in 1991. After the Hamas terrorist attack, the DFB divided from October 7, 2023: “In this difficult situation, football in Germany is firmly alongside our friends and partners in Israel.” With a view to the current application of the PFA, the DFB wrote a quicker decision on the question of an inadmissible game in Palestinian territory at a request from the sports show: “The examination of the facts has not yet been completed. We want to grant the committee the necessary time to clarify this question.” When asked how he would behave in the event of a vote, the DFB said: “Currently it is not clear to us whether there will be a vote as part of the congress.”

Israel also receives encouragement from parts of South America and North America. The Palestinian Association receives support for its application, especially in Asia. The regional association of West Asian football associations with the associations from Qatar and Saudi Arabia influential in FIFA also required an acceleration of the process in the FIFA Council.

This was followed by the Asian association with FIFA Vice President Scheich Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa from Bahrain at the top. “We demand that the responsible FIFA committees examine the matter and make clear decisions, since the matter has been taking too long”criticized Salman and emphasized: “We are in solidarity at the side of the Palestinian football community.” But there is also a few encouragement in Europe. Norway’s association president Lise Klaveness – Member of the UEFA Executive Committee since April – has recently become apparent at the side of the Palestinian leader of the association Rajoub.