FIFA head to meet PA officials over bid to suspend Israel

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is expected to meet with the Palestinian soccer chief to discuss the latter’s request that Israel be barred from international competition, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said Saturday.

A PFA statement said that FIFA’s Blatter would meet Jibril Rajoub ahead of the world governing body’s next congress in Cairo in late May, but did not give a date for the talks.

FIFA declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Saturday.

The Palestinians want Israel banned over difficulties they say they face including restrictions on the movements of players between the West Bank and the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip as well as limits on the import of sports equipment into the Palestinian territories. The issues have been a source of contention for several years while Israel maintains the restrictions are needed for security reasons.

Suspension from FIFA could affect the Israeli national team’s ability to play against international teams.

The PFA also complained about alleged racist behavior by Israeli soccer fans towards Israeli-Arab players in local teams and claims that Israel is violating international law by allowing five teams from Israeli settlements to play in the domestic soccer league.

The PFA statement said Blatter had recently contacted Rajoub and assured him that “serious discussions were under way for the Palestinian draft resolution to be submitted to a vote at the next congress in May”.

It has also cried foul over Israeli travel restrictions on Palestinian players.

To be passed, the Palestinian resolution must win the support of at least 156 other delegates at the 209-member congress.

The Palestinians were upgraded from observer entity to a United Nations “observer state” in 2012, and although not yet universally recognised as a state, their national football team gained FIFA recognition in 1998.

The PFA last called for Israel’s suspension in November after Israeli forces raided its headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

A FIFA delegation visited the Gaza Strip in January and pledged $1 million (840,000 euros) to help rebuild stadiums there, many of which were damaged during the conflict between Israel and Hamas last July and August.

Rajoub has also been pushing to remove Israel from the Union of European Football Associations because of the curtailing of Gazan athletes’ freedom of movement.

Israel and Egypt imposed a blockade on Gaza after Hamas seized control of the territory in 2007 from forces loyal to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Israel says the restrictions are meant to prevent Hamas from getting weapons and weapons material.

Elhanan Miller contributed to this report.