Palestinian FA will call for expulsion of Israel from FIFA if no progress by June
Be realistic – look at what the PFA has actually demanded – and if solidarity, support what they have actually asked for.
1) InsideWorldFootball reports on the Israeli/Palestinian football dispute, March 31; 2)InsideWorldFootball reports on FIFA executive meeting in which PFA complaints, and threat to call for IFA expulsion, are discussed; 3) Haaretz, misleading headline but accurate report; 4) the JPost version.
The Palestinian national football team, 2013
Exclusive: Israelis reject FIFA expulsion talk, claiming progress is being made
By Andrew Warshaw, chief correspondent, Inside World Football
March 31, 2014
Israeli football authorities have broken their silence over the hugely sensitive dispute with Palestine, insisting efforts are being stepped up to improve conditions for Palestinian players and officials in and out of the West Bank and Gaza.
Tensions between the two sides recently reached a peak when the Palestinian FA announced it would call for Israel’s expulsion from FIFA this summer’s FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo unless tangible measures are taken to ease travel restrictions in the occupied territories.
Last week, the Israeli FA attended the UEFA Congress in Kazakhstan and kept a low public profile throughout the proceedings. But in a brief interview with INSIDEworldfootball straight after the congress, Israeli Football Association CEO Rotem Kemer said there was a danger of too many people playing politics.
“We don’t think this is right,” he said. “It has never been the policy of FIFA and UEFA to mix politics and sport. We are making our best efforts in order to help the Palestinian association. We are trying to make things easier for them.”
The Israeli security forces have accused the Palestinians of using football to hide the movement of terrorists and equipment within the region. The Palestinians have denied this and point to the inability to get footballers to training and matches which they say is a deliberate act of oppression.
FIFA have set up a mediation Task Force and Palestine football’s leading figurehead Jibril Rajoub has already met with his Israeli counterpart Avi Luzon and FIFA President Sepp Blatter to try and resolve the long-term issue of access to and from Palestinian territories.
Blatter, who is due back in the region next month, wants Israel and Palestine to sign a formal co-operation agreement at or around the FIFA Congress in June but Rajoub has implied this is some way off while travel permit restrictions continue to be imposed by Israel on everyone from players to consultants.
Kemer, however, implied the debate has been far too one-sided.
“I don’t think we will be expelled from FIFA because we are making good progress with the Palestinians,” he said. “I would say we are on the right track.”
Despite his comments, earlier this year two teenage Palestinian footballers were shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and were told it is unlikely they would play again.
Jawhar Nasser Jawhar, 19, and Adam Abd al-Raouf Halabiya, 17, were shot by Israeli soldiers as they were walking home from a training session in the Faisal al-Husseini Stadium in al-Ram in the central West Bank on January 31. The incident served as a graphic reminder of the situation on the ground and was recently taken up by FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein during a briefing with reporters.
“I am not promoting or defending any side (but) I am in a very difficult situation where I have to take two boys from Palestine at my own expense, for treatment in Jordan,” said Prince Ali, head of the Jordanian FA.
“These are the two who were shot in the legs and set upon by dogs. Why is this happening? Under FIFA statutes you cannot say one country can do one thing and another country can do something else. All we are asking is to allow our young boys and young girls to play the sport.”
FIFA’s ExCo gathers in Zurich with agenda packed full of issues
By Andrew Warshaw, Inside World Football
March 19, 2014
EXCERPT
A key meeting of FIFA’s executive committee (exco) opens on Thursday with the latest on Brazil’s troubled World Cup preparations high on the agenda along with the thorny issues of Israeli-Palestine relations and workers’ rights in Qatar.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is due to give his members an update on how much progress, if any, is being made to allow Palestinian players more freedom of movement in the region and the state of play in terms of Israel’s co-operation.
The Palestine FA has threatened to call for Israel to be expelled from football’s world governing body at this summer’s FIFA Congress unless there is tangible evidence that its players and officials are being allowed to travel without restrictions in the West Bank and Gaza.
Israel’s national squad, 2012
Report: FIFA gives Israel until summer to improve Palestinians’ soccer conditions
Palestinians have called for Israel’s expulsion from FIFA over its restrictions on Palestinian players and officials in the territories.
By Haaretz
March 31, 2014
Israel has until the summer to improve conditions for Palestinian soccer players and officials in the West Bank and Gaza, according to the Inside World Football website. Failure to deal with the problems experienced by Palestinian soccer players could result in Israel’s expulsion from the Federation of International Football Associations.
The Palestinian Football Association announced recently that it would demand Israel’s expulsion from FIFA at this summer’s FIFA Congress in Sao Paulo, unless tangible measures are taken to ease travel restrictions in the occupied territories.
Israeli football authorities maintain that efforts are being stepped up to improve conditions for Palestinian players and officials in and out of the West Bank and Gaza.
Israeli and Palestinian officials made progress on the issue when they met in Zurich two weeks ago, according to FIFA President Sepp Blatter. Blatter confirmed that he will meet the highest political authorities in the region before the Sao Paulo Congress.
“It has never been the policy of FIFA and UEFA to mix politics and sport,” Israeli FA CEO Rotem Kemer told the website. “We are making our best efforts in order to help the Palestinian association. We are trying to make things easier for them.”
Inside World Football reported that Israel’s security forces have accused the Palestinians of using soccer to hide the movement of terrorists and equipment within the region. The Palestinians have denied this and point to the inability to get soccer players to training and matches, which they say is a deliberate act of oppression.
FIFA has set up a mediation Task Force and Palestine soccer’s leading figurehead, Jibril Rajoub, has already met with his Israeli counterpart Avi Luzon and Blatter to try and resolve the long-term issue of access to and from Palestinian territories.
Blatter, who is due back in the region in April, wants Israel and Palestine to sign a formal co-operation agreement at or around the FIFA Congress in June, but Rajoub has implied this is some way off while travel permit restrictions continue to be imposed by Israel on everyone from players to consultants.
Kemer, however, implied the debate has been far too one-sided. “I don’t think we will be expelled from FIFA because we are making good progress with the Palestinians,” he said. “I would say we are on the right track.”
Earlier this year, two teenage Palestinian soccer players were shot by Israeli security forces in the West Bank and were told they are unlikely to play again.
Jawhar Nasser Jawhar, 19, and Adam Abd al-Raouf Halabiya, 17, were shot by Israel Defense Forces soldiers as they were walking home from a training session in the Faisal al-Husseini Stadium in al-Ram, in the central West Bank, on January 31.
The incident served as a graphic reminder of the situation on the ground and was recently taken up by FIFA vice-president Prince Ali bin al-Hussein during a briefing with reporters.
“I am not promoting or defending any side [but] I am in a very difficult situation where I have to take two boys from Palestine at my own expense, for treatment in Jordan,” said Prince Ali, head of the Jordanian FA.
“These are the two who were shot in the legs and set upon by dogs. Why is this happening? Under FIFA statutes, you cannot say one country can do one thing and another country can do something else. All we are asking is to allow our young boys and young girls to play the sport.”
Report: FIFA threatens to expel Israel over restrictions on Palestinians
By JPost sports staff
April 01, 2014
According to an exclusive report on Monday [March 31] from a website called Inside World Football, FIFA has given Israel until the summer to improve travel and playing conditions for Palestinian soccer players, with the threat of expulsion as a member of soccer’s world governing body hanging ominously overhead.
While this issue is not a new one, there has been added pressure in recent months after FIFA President Sepp Blatter visited the Middle East last July to try and help push forward the process between Israel and Palestine.
In recent weeks, the Palestinian Football Association has publicized that it would demand Israel’s expulsion from FIFA at this summer’s FIFA Congress at the World Cup in Brazil, unless travel restrictions for sportsmen between the occupied territories and Israel were removed.
Representatives from Israel’s highest soccer authorities have responded that Palestinian players and officials have enjoyed greatly improved access to move in and out of the West Bank and Gaza.
“It has never been the policy of FIFA and UEFA to mix politics and sport,” Israel Football Association CEO Rotem Kemer told www.insideworldfootball.com. “We are making our best efforts in order to help the Palestinian association. We are trying to make things easier for them.”
Blatter’s visit to the region led to the establishment of a FIFA Task Force to figure out the best way to fully resolve the issue.
Palestine soccer’s leading figurehead, Jibril Rajoub, and IFA Chairman Avi Luzon have reportedly been in close contact recently and have both publicly stated that they are fully committed to reaching a solution.
Kemer maintained that important progress is being made and that he doesn’t anticipate severe sanctions, if any at all.
“I don’t think we will be expelled from FIFA because we are making good progress with the Palestinians,” he said. “I would say we are on the right track.”