FIFA 76th Congress: They exterminated us, now they want to shake hands

On 30 April 2026, FIFA held its 76th Congress gathering in Vancouver in a lavish auditorium adorned with the “Fair Play” and “Unity through Sport.” The standard protocols unfolded as World Cup delegations exchanged platitudes, smiles, and posed for cameras.

FIFA Congress: Staging unity

However, what unfolded in front of cameras was not part of that script.

In what many have viewed as a cheap PR move, FIFA President Gianni Infantino sought to engineer a historic handshake between the Palestinian and Israeli football federation.

This matters for FIFA in its desperation to project an image of sport as a unifying force capable of cutting through political divisions.

While this may work in other instances, this particular PR stunt does not account for the 70,000 Palestinians killed by Israeli occupiers in Gaza since late 2023. Rather, it flattens reality and besmirches all the Palestinian lives killed in vain.

Infantino summoned Jibril Rajoub, President of the Palestinian Football Association, urging Rajoub to greet his Israeli counterpart. The cameras were rolling and the world was watching.

A matter of national responsibility

Still, Rajoub refused to play along, declining Infantino’s invitation before walking away. His refusal is not merely a personal choice — it’s a national responsibility. Rajoub represents his country both on and off the pitch, and seeking the approval of any authority answerable to a genocidal state is not part of the job.

During FIFA meeting, Rajoub was unequivocal in saying:

National dignity is not subject to protocol and out of respect for the sanctity of our people’s blood, including our athletes.

In his remarks to the congress, Rajoub also made it clear that the Palestinian Football Association would be taking FIFA’s inaction over Israeli clubs in illegal settlements to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

So what exactly would a handshake achieve? What does it celebrate?

The spilled blood of thousands in Gaza?

Or the wanton destruction of Palestine’s sport facilities?

Or the vanquished dreams of thousands of children deprived of the right to chase after a ball in case the Israelis come for them?

We still remember the four boys murdered by Israeli missiles while they were playing football on Gaza city’s fishing beach in 2014.

FIFA’s selective justice

FIFA, we won’t sugarcoat it for you — your selectivity stinks. In previous years, the world watched FIFA make some tough but decisive decisions against Russia in record time in response to acts of military aggression.

Here, though, as far as Palestinians are concerned, the criteria seem open to interpretation.

A handshake could never restore what has been lost in Gaza, and is part of a broader effort to normalise violence against Palestinians. Coddling genocidal actors has never been an express route towards peace.

Featured image via the Canary