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Israel’s all out war on civilians in Gaza has spared no one and nothing. So it comes as no surprise that 560 athletes and sportsmen have been killed, including 250 footballers, coaches, and administrators according to figures published by the Palestine Football Association (PFA) on February 27th.
Compounding the problems Palestinian sport faces has been the destruction of 265 sporting facilities including Al-Yarmouk Stadium which was transformed into an Israeli concentration camp in 2024.
Palestine’s leagues in the West Bank and Gaza have come to a screeching halt since October 7th with no signs of league play returning, even in the relatively calmer West Bank.
Thankfully, the Palestine national football team has been able to face the crisis and rise above the hurdles. Al-Fida’i advanced past the group stage for the first time ever at last year’s Asian Cup and followed that up by progressing in World Cup qualification. A pair of famous draws against regional behemoth South Korea was topped by a first ever win against Iraq in their last World Cup qualifier.
The national team’s success has helped raise awareness of brutality of Israel’s genocide and there have been repeated- thus far unsuccessful- attempts to get Israel’s FIFA membership suspended.
The defence Israel’s Football Association puts forth is that they are a non-political body that cannot be held liable for the acts of political actors.
FIFA has been sympathetic to this defence and has overlooked ever increasing violence and racism in the stands at Israeli League games.
Over the weekend, two incidents following the most high profile Palestinian footballers to date unfolded.
First a video emerged of Tamer Seyam at a checkpoint arguing with Israeli soldiers who were demanding he take off his national team top.
The national team vice captain can be seen pleading his case in the video. Football Palestine asked Seyam to clarify what took place in the video that went viral but he has yet to return the request for comment.
Palestine’s newly minted left back Ahmed Taha was a surprise inclusion in last month’s squad. His name was not published in the official list of players called up to the squad. This was done to limit the blow back the current Kafr Qasim SC player would receive and avoid any harm that might come to him or his family.
Ataa Jaber was doxxed in 2023 as a result of his decision to switch federations and the PFA was keen to avoid a repeat of the situation.
It was widely expected that Taha could be held out of games all together upon his return from international break but the 23 year old has appeared in both of Kafr Qasim’s Liga Leumit fixtures since.
In protest at his decision to play for Palestine, Maccabi Jaffa players refused to shake the 23 year old’s hand before the game. One of the Jaffa players had this to say in relation to the incident:
“We are not willing to shake hands with a player who represents Palestine in light of the events of October 7. If the IFA does not pay attention to the issue, we expect the rest of the league players to also behave accordingly with that player. And it is even more shameful that a player from the Palestinian national team served as captain in the Israeli league today.”
Minister for Sport and Culture, Miki Zohar, went further– deliberately mixing politics with sport.
“A player in the National League in Israel came to play in the uniform of the Palestinian national team,” he said. “As if this is normal. This is an event that cannot be overlooked.”
“As the Minister of Sports, I see this as a clear crossing of a red line. Today I addressed the Football Association with a demand to examine the conduct in this case and set clear boundaries,” the minister concluded.
“Even if FIFA recognizes the national team, this will not dictate to Israel how to conduct itself in this matter.”
As with other attacks involving Palestinian footballers, FIFA and FIFPRO have yet to comment.
