Israel’s attacks on Palestinian sports know no bounds.
Israel has killed at least 410 Palestinian athletes in its Gaza genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians and destroyed or damaged all sporting facilities there.
Last week, in its ongoing violent military assault on the occupied Palestinian West Bank, the Israeli occupation forces killed at least 36 Palestinians, including children. One of those children was 15-year-old Mohammad Kanaan of Premier League Markaz Tulkarem youth team, shot in the head by an Israeli sniper in the Tulkarem refugee camp.
Israeli bulldozers also destroyed the Jenin Municipal Football Stadium as they stormed the city.
Meanwhile, fans of the Palestinian team in the Israeli Premier League Bnei Sakhnin were violently attacked by Jewish Israelis, armed with batons, before the start of a match on September 1. The reason? They peacefully turned their backs during genocidal apartheid Israel’s anthem, something akin to US football players taking a knee to protest systemic racism and police violence against Black Americans.
Israel’s National “Security” Minister Ben Gvir, a convicted supporter of terrorism who has spewed a constant string of genocidal statements for nearly a year and incited against Indigenous Palestinians for decades, called for Bnei Sakhnin to be removed from Israel’s Premier League. This government interference in football constitutes yet another breach of FIFA’s statutes that the corrupt FIFA continues to ignore in the case of Israel.
Today, during the Nations League match between Israel and Italy, make your voice heard.
FIFA can’t ignore us! Call on FIFA to ban Israel now!
At every chance, we will make our voices heard.
As the Palestinian national team competed in the World Cup Qualifier in South Korea, fans held enormous Palestinian flags and called for an end to Israel’s Gaza genocide.
Italian groups are preparing for protests at the Nations League return match on Oct 14 in the northern city of Udine.
The City of Udine confirmed in July that it will not sponsor the match, defining Israel as a “State of war.”
We will continue to peacefully disrupt UEFA and FIFA matches, wherever they take place, until FIFA stops enabling Israel’s genocide and apartheid regime.
Stay tuned for more actions during the Nations League matches with Belgium, France and Italy.
Tweet:
Israel's attacks on Palestinian sports know no bounds. Last week in the occupied West Bank, Israel:
- Killed 15 yo Mohammad Kanaan of Premier League Markaz Tulkarem youth team
- Destroyed the Jenin stadium
@FIFAcom, #BanIsrael now!
#NationsLeague #IsrIta