It was supposed to be a celebration. It was meant to be an exclamation point on a season that has been condensed to give the national team ample time to prepare themselves for the 2023 AFC Asian Cup finals.
What happened at half time of the Yasser Arafat Cup (Palestine’s version of the League Cup) was anything but. At the stroke of halftime, tear gas was fired by Israeli forces into the stands and field of the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in Al-Ram, Jerusalem Governorate.
To The first half had gone smoothly the atmosphere was family friendly about 200 people made the trip from the northern city of Nablus down to Jerusalem to face recently crowned 2022/23 League Champions Jabal Al-Mukaber. Total attendance at the stadium was no more than 2,000- about 25% of the stadium’s capacity.
be clear, this was an attack that was completely unprovoked and the Israeli forces were not commissioned to keep order in, or around, the stadium. Fortuitously, only three people were injured- had the stadium been at near capacity this could have resulted in the death of dozens of supporters.
This is not the first time that Israeli forces have targeted the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium or the adjacent PFA headquarters. It is however, the first time, it has been caught on camera. The attack during halftime delayed the start of the second half and viewers witnessed these horrific scenes on their TV screens:
In the midst of the chaos it looked like the game would be called off or awarded to, Jabal Al-Mukaber who were up 1-0 courtesy of Ziad Qombor goal, Rami Hamadi made an impromptu TV appearance defiantly saying the game would go on.
The goalkeeper played a starring role in the second half protecting the slender 1-0 advantage but while the football went on so did the firing of tear gas outside the stadium. The plumes of smoke got so thick that Hamadi had to be treated for tear gas inhalation in the 85th minute.
Jabal Al-Mukaber did go on to win the match but the main talking point was not the team achieving the double this season but external events. Players, fans, and administrators alike wanted to know what would FIFA do in response not only to this attack but in regards to the murder of Thaqafi Tulkarem’s top forward Ahmad Draghmeh in December and the continued detention- without charge- of Ahmad Abu Khadija who is sitting in a prison cell instead of celebrating with his Jabal Al-Mukaber teammates.
