As Palestinians, we call on Europe Netball to ban Israel Netball from its membership over its direct involvement in war crimes.
At least 15 of Israel Netball’s 34 teams, or nearly half, are based in illegal Israeli settlements on stolen Palestinian land in direct violation of international law. The 2024 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel is violating the prohibition against apartheid, a crime against humanity, and that its entire military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, is illegal. Israel’s illegal settlement enterprise constitutes a war crime under international law.
The ICJ ruling requires all states and international organizations not to recognize Israel’s illegal military presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The ICJ also ruled last year that Israel is plausibly committing genocide, the crime of all crimes, against 2.3M Palestinians in Gaza. Among the tens of thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza are at least 12,000 women and more than 700 athletes. Israeli forces have deliberately damaged or destroyed all Palestinian sports infrastructure in Gaza. The ICJ ruling requires states “to prevent and to punish” the crime of genocide.
Europe Netball has a moral and legal obligation to ban Israel Netball from its membership and prevent it and its teams from playing in international tournaments or matches, or risk criminal liability.
First and foremost, Europe Netball must urgently ban Israel Netball from playing in the Europe Netball Open Event 2025 in Wales 7-11 May 2025. A team so directly involved in a war crime and a crime against humanity, representing a state committing genocide, cannot be welcomed to any international sporting event.
Should Europe Netball refuse to comply with its obligations according to the World Court’s rulings and basic sporting values and allow Israel to participate in the tournament in Wales, we urge:
- Wales Netball to withdraw from the event;
- Cardiff City House of Sport to withdraw from hosting the event;
- Participating teams, including Isle of Man, France, Malta, Gibraltar, and Switzerland, to refuse to play against Israel;
- the Welsh Government to perform due diligence on all Israel Netball players and staff and investigate and, if warranted, prosecute those residing in illegal Israeli settlements, and therefore knowingly participating in a war crime, and those who may have incited to genocide, a crime under the Genocide Convention;
- Fans to peacefully disrupt matches.
These are the bare minimum actions necessary not to be complicit in Israel’s atrocity crimes against Palestinians. Failure to abide by them runs the risk of criminal liability.
By allowing Israel Netball to remain a member in good standing and to play in this or any other tournament, Europe Netball would be sportwashing and contributing to prolonging Israel’s horrific crimes against Palestinians, tarnishing the sport and putting itself at risk of criminal liability.