The Palestinian Football Association appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA’s decision not to sanction Israel

The Palestinian Football Association lodged a formal appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on the 20th of this month, having exhausted all available legal avenues within FIFA.

This comes as an escalatory move against FIFA’s decision not to impose any sanctions on the Israeli Football Association or its affiliated clubs in the West Bank settlements.

Suzan Shalabi, vice-president of the Palestinian Football Association, told the Canary that the Palestinian Association adheres to international laws and regulations, but considers FIFA’s decision to be completely unfair.

She added that the decision to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport came after exhausting all procedures within the international football system.

Shalabi explained that the issue centres on the participation of clubs operating in illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in Israeli domestic competitions, at a time when Palestinians consider these territories part of a future state, emphasising that the Palestinian Football Association is demanding an end to this football representation in Israeli Football Association tournaments.

FIFA — ‘unresolved legal status’

Last month, FIFA announced that it would not take any action against the Israeli Football Association or the clubs concerned, justifying this by what it described as the “unresolved legal status” of the West Bank under international law. This of course is not true. Israeli settlements’ legal status is ‘fully resolved.’ They are illegal under international law.

In a related context, Shalabi noted that Palestinian football faces a “dire situation”, particularly in the Gaza Strip, with the continued suspension of many domestic leagues, alongside growing organisational difficulties due to the fallout from the war in Gaza and the occupation’s violations in the West Bank.

In her remarks, Shalabi also noted that the visa issues faced by several sports delegations ahead of the FIFA Annual Congress in Canada had contributed to heightened tensions surrounding the international football scene in recent times.

This is the first time the Palestinian Football Association delegation has been barred from participating in the FIFA Congress simply because it was denied visas, reinforcing the theory that this is backed by Israel and with the approval of FIFA, which does not wish to be embarrassed once again before the international community regarding Israel’s flagrant violations against Palestinian sport.

Shalabi revealed that the Palestinian delegation had recently obtained Canadian visas to attend the FIFA Congress, and that the Federation’s President, Jibril Rajoub, would deliver a speech during the event in which he would outline all the aforementioned facts to the member associations.

Featured image via Amnesty