July 27 – FIFA’s increasingly difficult diplomatic attempts to mediate in the ongoing spat between Israel and Palestine over free movement of Palestinian footballers and equipment have been highlighted yet again with reports that Israel intervened to hinder the Palestine Cup, one of the region’s most anticipated competitions.
According to Palestinian websites, Israel blocked seven Ahly al-Khalil players, all of whom are Palestinian citizens or residents of Israel, from crossing from the occupied West Bank into Gaza for the opening match against Shabab Khan Younis.
According to Ma’an News Agency, the seven players included Ahly al-Khalil’s three best players who also play for the Palestinian national team. The match went ahead anyway and saw Ahly al-Khalil win 1-0 despite missing more than half of its squad. The Palestinian agency said Tuesday the seven were still waiting at the Erez crossing, on the border between Israel and Gaza, for permission to cross.
The match is far bigger than the sum of its parts pitting sides from the West Bank and Gaza Strip against each other, with a strong political agenda.
Samer al-Sha’arawai, a member of Ahly al-Khalil’s management, issued a press release saying that, “Palestinian Football Association told us that 33 members of the West Bank delegation were allowed to enter, yet seven players were denied entry permits, all of them part of Palestinian society in ’48 territories. We are in constant contact with the association and hope that the problem will be solved so that everyone can enter the Strip.”
Pro-Palestinian groups claim such moves show how the Israeli occupation exerts its power and control beyond the Israeli argument of “self-defense”. But in response, Israel’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said those who requested permits only did so on Sunday evening, far too late to be processed properly.
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