Palestinians turn to FIFA over Israeli restrictions

[Israeli]

For the second time in a week, Israeli authorities place travel restrictions on players meant to participate in Palestine Cup matches. A motion to expel Israel from FIFA last year was withdrawn after Palestinians received assurances on freedom of movement.

The Palestinian Football Association said it will escalate its complaint with FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, over Israel’s refusal to allow Palestinian soccer players to travel between the West Bank and Gaza for games in the Palestine Cup over the past week, Palestinian news site Sawa reported Saturday.

The complaint comes as the Israeli military has refused to allow seven players from Gaza-based Shabab Khan Younis to exit the Gaza Strip in order to play a Palestine Cup match in the West Bank in Hebron on Saturday.

Appeals to Israeli officials to resolve the matter were reportedly unsuccessful. Palestinian Football Association officials delayed Saturday’s game by 48 hours in hopes that with the intervention of FIFA, Israel might allow the Palestinian players to exit Gaza in order to play in the cup match.

The Palestinian Football Association withdrew a motion to expel Israel from FIFA last year as part of a compromise that was meant to establish a committee to ensure freedom of movement for Palestinian soccer players.

Source : http://972mag.com/palestinians-turn-to-fifa-over-israeli-restrictions/121046/

[Israeli]

1. Red Card to the Settlers!

In recent days, a growing global campaign is calling for soccer clubs based at Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories to be banned from participation in the Israeli Soccer League. Should the Israeli Soccer Association fail to comply, Israeli soccer in general might find itself expelled from FIFA, the International Soccer Association.

As might be recalled, on May last year Jibril Rajoub of the Palestinian Soccer Association demanded that Israel be ousted from FIFA. In the end Rajoub consented not to bring the matter up for a vote at the FIFA Congress, in return for FIFA establishing a Commission of Inquiry to look into Israel's conduct in soccer-related matters, including possible violations of International Law and of FIFA regulations. Among the issues brought up were arrests and detentions of Palestinian soccer players and restrictions on their freedom of movement, manifestations of anti-Arab racism in the Betar Jerusalem Club and especially the fact that there are six clubs playing in the Israeli Soccer League which are located in Occupied Palestinian Territory.

It should be noted that the State of Palestine is a full member of FIFA, and the Palestinian Soccer Association has the same standing in FIFA as the Israeli one. Further, all the land occupied by Israel since 1967 is considered by the International Community to be sovereign Palestinian territory.

According to FIFA regulations, soccer clubs located in the sovereign territory of a particular country must play in the national league of that country. Therefore, clubs located in settlements on land belonging to the State of Palestine should be playing in the Palestinian League. The very fact that they play in the Israeli League is a violation of FIFA regulations. To play in Israel, these clubs – six in number - would have needed to obtain a special dispensation from the Palestinian Soccer Association. In fact, no such dispensation was ever sought, never mind granted.

Source : http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1464389870

[Israeli]

3. Petition ....

SIGN THE PETITION

To Tokyo Sexwale, the Chairman of FIFA’s Investigation Committee : As concerned citizens from across the Middle East, North Africa, South Africa, and the world, we ask you to uphold FIFA’s own rules and provide fair recommendations demanding the Israeli Football Association either removes the settlement football clubs from its membership or relocates them outside the illegal settlements. If the Israeli Football Association doesn't comply it must lose its membership with FIFA, as has been the case with other federations that have refused to accept FIFA's fair play rules. There should be zero tolerance for the six teams that flagrantly ignore international law and operate in occupied territory. Settlement football teams legitimise the illegal occupation and condone the suffering the Palestinians face as a result.

To sign: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/red_card_occupation_full/

Source : http://zope.gush-shalom.org/home/en/events/1464389870

[shira]

2. Reminds me of a thread here in 2014 about terrorist soccer players shot in the foot....

....dozens of times for no reason whatsoever other than racism.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113458740#post35

A thread where the participants here wholeheartedly defended a fake story from a Jew hating source they support due to its Jew hatred.

The racist Jew hating, terror advocating Mondoweiss was also 100% in on the hoax, falsely claiming knees were broken and wondering if those athletes would ever walk again...
http://mondoweiss.net/2014/03/vicious-palestinian-athletes/

Typical clownish attempt straight from the the BDS playbook. No matter how silly one appears attacking Israel, the point is that Israel is attacked. That's BDS.

======================

Gee, I wonder why Israel would have a problem here, given the history of fielding terrorists on their soccer teams.

[Israeli]

4. After FIFA complaint, Israel lets Gaza soccer players travel to championship game in Hebron

The Palestine Cup final, which was originally scheduled to take place Saturday, was delayed due to an Israeli-imposed travel ban on 11 players from Gaza. Petition to boot Israeli settlement teams collects 150,000 signatures.

By Yoni Mendel

An online petition to FIFA that had collected nearly 150,000 signatures by Monday demanded that the international soccer organization apply its bylaws to Israeli soccer clubs operating in the occupied West Bank.

“If the Israeli Football Association doesn’t comply it must lose its membership with FIFA, as has been the case with other federations that have refused to accept FIFA’s fair play rules,” the petition reads.

Source : http://972mag.com/after-fifa-complaint-israel-lets-gaza-soccer-players-travel-to-championship-game-in-hebron/121093/