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![]() | It has been suggested that this page be merged into Boycotts of Israel in sports. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2024. |
Demanding that Israel be banned from international sports have been in the works for years and have grown louder due to the Israel–Hamas war.[1][2] While Russia's sports have been sanctioned for its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory,[3] Israel's occupation of Palestine for more than 75 years has never led to a ban.[4] Those opposed to banning Israel argue that politics should not interfere in sports.[1] IOC has rejected calls for banning Israel,[5] stating that the Israel–Hamas war cannot be compared to other wars.[3]
Background
editInternational sanctions have been an effective method of punishing those who violate international laws since 1972, when the South African team was banned from the Olympic Games for twenty-three years.[2][6] In 2014, the European Union passed sanctions against Russia after it illegally annexed Ukraine's territory.[6] Many calls for Israel to be banned from international sports make reference to the sport bans resulting from the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7][8][9]
Referring to FIFA's suspending of Russia and South Africa during apartheid, Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association and the Palestine Olympic Committee said that more than 250 Palestinian athletes, most of them soccer players, have been killed in Gaza and several soccer stadiums have been destroyed. He said that the presence of six teams from Israeli settlements was a clear violation of FIFA regulations.[10]
Petitions
editWest Asian Football Federation
editIn February 2024, the twelve-member West Asian Football Federation sent an open letter to FIFA, all of its national member associations, and the sport's six regional confederations, imploring them to boycott Israel for its alleged war crimes and the killing of civilians. The federation's president, Prince Ali bin Hussein, also wrote to EU members and Britain's native countries imploring their engagement.[11][12]
BDS
editBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a movement launched in 2005 to rally popular support for enactment of sanctions against Israel as an allegedly apartheid state.[6] In 2012 and again in 2016, BDS called for an Olympic ban ,[1] and accused FIFA in 2023 of consistently ignoring pro-Pslestine calls.[13] They complained that FIFA did not hold Israel accountable for its alleged violations of FIFA's statutes, particularly for Israel's inclusion of teams in illegal settlements. Yet they alleged that FIFA had instead sanctioned fan clubs that expressed support for Palestinian human rights.[3]
4Sports Kuwait
editIn 2024, more than 23,560 people signed an online petition asking FIFA to ban Israel in response to the alleged killing of Palestinian footballers by Israeli forces and the destruction of sports venues in Gaza. The petition, created by 4Sports Kuwait, lists Israel's alleged sports violations in Gaza during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.[13]
DiEM25
editIn January 2024, Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) launched a petition calling for suspension of Israel from world sport "until it fully complies with international law and sports regulations," alleging that multiple sports organisations, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC), FIFA, UEFA, and FIBA were "complicit as they allow a continuous participation of the occupying apartheid regime in their events."[13][1] One of the petition's co-organizers, Katrina Pijtelovic, decried the double standards of FIFA and other international bodies in punishing Russia for killing Ukrainian civilians and remaining silent about Israel's actions.[1]
Jordan Football Association
editIn 2023, when Israel turned Yarmouk Stadium into a Palestinian detention camp, where they kept Palestinians in poor conditions, the Jordan Football Association (JFA) issued a statement demanding international sanctions against Israel's sports associations, including bans on Israel's participation in world championships.[3][14][15]
Palestinian Football Association
editThe Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has called on FIFA to expel the Israel Football Association (IFA) amid the ongoing Israel–Hamas war. The PFA say they want to address alleged human rights violations committed by Israel, as well as the alleged discrimination in its league and its recognition of teams illegally located in Palestinian territory.[16] PFA has also called on IOC and FIFA to investigate alleged Israeli crimes against Palestinian athletes.[3][13][17] Albeit unsuccessful, PFA had made a similar appeal in 2015 when Israel restricted the movement of Palestinian athletes.[17]
Palestinian sport clubs
editPrior the 2024 Olympic Games, three hundred Palestinian sports clubs asked the IOC to exclude Israel from the games.[1] Palestinian sports and youth clubs had also called for Israel's exclusion from the games as part of a wider boycott campaign for alleged violation of IOC principles.[15] Both calls went unheeded.[2]
Irish Sports for Palestine
editHundreds of Irish athletes signed an open letter calling for a ban on Israeli sport. Shortly afterwards, six Irish basketballers boycotted a women's tournament match against Israel in early 2024, while, at a subsequent EuroBasket 2025 qualifier, Irish players declined to shake hands with the Israeli team.[1]
Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel
editThe Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel has called on IOC, FIFA, and several other sporting bodies to exclude Israel over alleged human rights violations.[11]
French politicians
editIn February 2024, a group of left-wing politicians in France called on the IOC President Thomas Bach to exclude Israel from the upcoming games.[2] They proposed that Israeli athletes compete impartially in the games without state symbols, i.e., the Israeli flag and national anthem, just as Russian and Belarusian athletes competed at the Tokyo Olympics.[18]
Red Card Israel
editAmong the organizations demanding that Isarael be suspended is the online movement "Red Card Israel," which is calling on fans to complain to the FIFA Council about the issue. The group, which is described as a grassroots movement in South Africa, has prepared a petition for supporters to sign, which states: "The sanctioning of Israeli teams is a real opportunity to help isolate Israel internationally for genocidal acts, including its killing of civilians and footballers, and could help build peace in Palestine." The group pointed to the sanctions that affected South African teams during the apartheid era, saying the sanctions "helped end" the ideology that imposed separation and discrimination between white South Africans and other racial groups in the country.[19]
Public figures
editIn 2015, some public figures, including Ken Loach, Bob Russell, Ahdaf Soueif and John Berger, wrote an open letter urging FIFA to suspend the IFA. Even earlier, some footballers had condemned Israel's plans to host the 2012 UEFA Under-21 Championship. In particular, the Norwegian national team coach Egil Olsen supported an academic and cultural boycott of Israel.[20] Former English soccer player Gary Lineker called on FIFA and the IOC to boycott of Israel in January 2024, angering pro-Israel figures.[21][11] Ken McCue, a member of the Irish group Insaka-Ireland, disclosed that some Irish sportspeople were likely to mount their own call for Israel to be banned from the Olympics, citing similar bans on Russia and South Africa.[17]
South African lawyers
editThe lawyers responsible for the ICJ 'genocide' case suggest banning Israel from playing in world soccer. In a private report by social justice non-profit organization ECO, South African scholars claim that Israel's actions "undermine" the goals of FIFA, the sport's governing body.[22]
Reactions
editBoth FIFA and IOC have refused to condemn the ongoing Israel–Hamas war and the resulting humanitarian crisis, with an IOC spokesperson arguing in November 2023 that the situation was not comparable to any other war.[3][23] While Russia has been sanctioned for its illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory,[3][24] Israel's occupation of Palestine has not led to a ban.[4][25][26] This led to accusations of double standards.[25][27] Those opposed to Israel's ban argue that politics should not interfere in sports.[1] Others posit that sports sanctions can be a powerful tool for justice, citing Israel's potential violation of FIFA and Olympics charters and the Russian invasion of Eukraine as a recent precedent.[28][29][16]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h Sumlaji, Dana (16 February 2024). "Demands for Israel sports ban grow louder".
- ^ a b c d "Calls grow louder for Israel to be excluded from Paris Olympics over Gaza war". The New Arab. 11 June 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Zidan, Karim (18 January 2024). "The case for sports sanctions against Israel". The Guardian.
- ^ a b Abed, Abubaker (24 November 2023). "How FIFA's red card for Palestine has revealed the hypocrisy of football". New Arab.
- ^ "Olympics chief: 'No question' Israel can compete in upcoming Paris games". Times of Israel. 6 March 2024.
- ^ a b c Hawari, Yara (26 June 2021). "There is no good reason why Israel should not be under sanctions". Al-Jazeera.
- ^ Abed, Abubaker (21 March 2024). "Palestinians call for FIFA to ban Israel's football team amid war on Gaza".
- ^ Rajvanshi, Astha (14 February 2024). "What to Know About the Global Boycott Movement Against Israel". Time.
- ^ "Will Israel be banned from the Paris 2024 Olympics? – analysis".
- ^ Slater, Matt. "FIFA postpone decision over Israel's football suspension amid 'legal assessment'". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Syed, Armani (8 February 2024). "12 Nations Call on FIFA to Ban Israel from World Soccer Competitions". Time.
- ^ Faraj, Caroline (12 February 2024). "Middle East Football Associations call for Israel ban over war in Gaza". CNN.
- ^ a b c d Qarjouli, Asmahan (11 January 2024). "Over 20,000 sign petition calling on FIFA to ban Israel". Doha News.
- ^ "Will the IOC Do Anything About the Killing of Palestinian Athletes?". The Nation.
- ^ a b "What should Israel do if opponents boycott its participation at the Olympic games?". Jpost.
- ^ a b Davis, Callum (18 April 2024). "Palestinian FA asks FIFA to expel Israel with vote to be held in May at annual congress". The New York Times. New York Times.
- ^ a b c "Will Israel be banned from football?". 17 May 2024.
- ^ "French lawmakers demand ban on Israeli flag, anthem at Paris Olympics".
- ^ "#RedCardIsrael: Calls for FIFA to suspend Israel intensify over Gaza atrocities". New Arab. 18 July 2024.
- ^ "BAN APARTHEID ISRAEL FROM SPORTS".
- ^ "Top BBC presenter Gary Lineker urges boycott of Israeli sports, later deletes post". Times of Israel. 15 January 2024.
- ^ "Report by lawyers behind ICJ 'genocide' case urges banning Israel from world soccer". The Times of Israel. 18 July 2024.
- ^ "IOC's ban on Russia cannot be compared with Israel situation".
- ^ "IOC not considering Russia-style sanctions for Israel over Gaza conflict". The Sydney Morning Herald.
- ^ a b Serhan, Yasmeen (18 July 2024). "The IOC Wants the Olympics to Be Apolitical. That's Impossible". Time.
- ^ "Israel's Olympic status not in question says IOC president Bach amid frustration with Russia".
- ^ "'We're on the right side of history': Celtic's growing feud over Palestine". Al-Jazeera.
- ^ Saeed, Samar (20 March 2024). "The case for a sports boycott of Israel over its war on Gaza". New Arab.
- ^ Mann, Brian (8 November 2023). "Russia says International Olympic Committee is giving Israel a pass on Gaza". NPR.