, the governing body of world football (soccer),听has capitulated once more to听听from the Israeli government. It has removed from the agenda of its upcoming congress the issue of teams from Israel鈥檚 illegal settlements on occupied Palestinian land playing in Israel鈥檚 national league.
This came after the听听(IFA) presented a document to FIFA officials, seen by Electronic Intifada, denying that an occupation even exists.
罢丑别听听(PFA) and more than听听have demanded that Israel be suspended due to its inclusion of settlement teams, its systematic violence against Palestinian athletes and its destruction of Palestinian sporting facilities.
But FIFA鈥檚 council announced on May 9 that there would be no vote on suspending Israel鈥檚 membership when national delegates gathered for the May 11 FIFA Congress in Bahrain.
鈥淔ollowing the report by chairman of the Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine Tokyo Sexwale, the FIFA Council considered that at this stage it is premature for the FIFA Congress to take any decision,鈥 FIFA听.
Israel denies occupation
The FIFA monitoring committee, headed by Sexwale,听听in South Africa鈥檚 struggle against Apartheid, has been looking into the settlement issue for two years.
The Sexwale committee鈥檚 report has been听. As this year鈥檚 FIFA Congress loomed, Israel intensified its diplomatic effort to undermine Sexwale and reject his committee鈥檚 draft report.
A 24-page memo from the IFA to FIFA officials attacks Sexwale鈥檚 draft report as 鈥減oliticised and fundamentally flawed鈥.
It claims the report 鈥渋s rife with false assertions, with no legal or factual basis鈥 and accuses the Sexwale committee of the 鈥渁doption of the Palestinian narrative鈥.
One of these alleged false assertions, according to the IFA, is that the 鈥渢erm 鈥榦ccupied Palestinian territories鈥 is a politically motivated term and does not reflect a binding legal determination of the status of this territory or the factual situation on the ground鈥.
鈥淭his territory is best understood as territory over which both the Israeli and Palestinian side [sic] maintain competing claims,鈥 the IFA adds.
False claims
But this position flies in the face of long-established international law. In December, the United Nations Security Council听听补听听reaffirming that Israel is the 鈥渙ccupying power鈥 in the West Bank.
The resolution condemns all of Israel鈥檚 measures 鈥渁imed at altering the demographic composition, character and status of the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967, including East Jerusalem鈥. This includes measures such as听building settlements, demolishing Palestinian homes and forcibly displacing civilians.
The clear language of the Security Council resolution gives the lie to Israel鈥檚 accusation that the Sexwale committee is making 鈥渙ne-sided political assertions鈥 by factually stating that Palestinian territory is occupied.
FIFA rules bar national associations from holding matches on the territory of another member without permission 鈥 as Israel does in the West Bank without Palestinian permission.
Many governments and international bodies,听听迟丑别听, consider the West Bank and Gaza Strip to be part of the territory of an occupied state of Palestine.
Moreover, a听听听by the head of the听听at Germany鈥檚 University of Potsdam concludes that Israeli settlement clubs playing in the occupied West Bank violate FIFA statutes.
Last month,听, trade unions, human rights organisations and faith groups from 28 countries joined world footballers, scholars, cultural figures and politicians in demanding the IFA be suspended if it did not exclude the settler teams.
FIFA caves
The Israeli memo also proves beyond doubt that rather than being a body only interested in sports, the IFA is an integral part of Israel鈥檚 official propaganda and occupation apparatus. The goal of this apparatus is to complete the colonisation and annexation of the West Bank.
The IFA memo recommends that 鈥渢he draft report should not be circulated鈥 and the matter should be the 鈥渟ubject of further discussion鈥.
Despite the clarity of the facts, the FIFA Council appears to have acquiesced to the false Israeli narrative and capitulated to demands for more delay and inaction.
The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) strongly condemned the decision.
鈥淔or two years, FIFA has ducked its responsibilities and allowed the Israel Football Association to violate FIFA鈥檚 own statutes by including football teams based in illegal Israeli settlements built on occupied Palestinian land,鈥 PACBI鈥檚 Hind Awwad said.
鈥淎fter bowing time and again to Israeli intimidation, FIFA had a chance to correct its disgraceful record. But it seems FIFA President Gianni Infantino is bent on following his predecessor鈥檚 corrupt path.鈥
In a recent report, Human Rights Watch showed how FIFA and the IFA jointly profit from Israel鈥檚 illegal colonisation of the West Bank and the settlement teams that play there.
Palestine still on agenda
Despite Israel鈥檚 apparent success in pressuring FIFA officials to again give it a pass, Israel鈥檚 efforts to whitewash its violations of Palestinian rights still face a challenge at the upcoming congress.
罢丑别听听includes a motion calling for 鈥渙fficial recognition of the Palestinian Football Association鈥檚 entitlements to all of its rights as described in the FIFA Statutes鈥.
Electronic Intifada understands there is intense pressure on the PFA to withdraw the motion.
The PFA has听听to such pressure in the past, but it has听听not to do so this time.
The PACBI鈥檚 Awwad urged FIFA delegates to 鈥渟tand on the right side of history鈥 by backing the motion.
[Reprinted from .]
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