By Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI)
FIFA wants to keep its vote on banning Israel quiet.
Let’s make some noise.
FIFA wants to ignore Israel’s livestreamed Gaza genocide and the tens of thousands of Palestinians it has murdered in the past months, including hundreds of athletes, coaches, referees, and club owners.
FIFA wants to ignore that Israel has damaged or destroyed all sports infrastructure in Gaza, some after using them as detention and torture camps.
FIFA wants to ignore Israel’s football teams in Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian land despite the recent ICJ ruling reconfirming they are illegal, in fact a war crime.
FIFA to ignore that Israel is an apartheid state that must be banned, just as apartheid South Africa was in 1961.
FIFA wants to ignore rampant racism and dehumanization in Israeli sports, including the banner at a recent Israeli match saying the lives of Jewish-Israeli children are worth more than those of Palestinian children, not to mention Israeli football fans’ favorite anthem, “Death to the Arabs!”
FIFA wants to ignore Israel’s recent violent attack on the headquarters of the Palestinian Football Association in Jerusalem.
FIFA wants to ignore calls from the 47-member Asian Football Confederation and more than 500,000 signatories, to ban Israel.
By the end of this month, FIFA will vote on banning Israel.
Let’s make sure FIFA can’t ignore Israel’s genocide and sporticide against Palestinians.
Tell FIFA: We won’t stop calling to ban apartheid Israel from football!
The global calls to ban Israel from sports have kept the spotlight on its attacks on Palestinian life, rights, liberty and sports.
We have no illusions on the lengths that Western dominated FIFA, and its corrupt president Gianni Infantino, will go to in order to shield Israel from accountability, even as it carries out a livestreamed genocide and escalate its 76-year-old regime of settler-colonial apartheid.
Instead, we have every faith in people power. We call for continued peaceful disruption of ALL Israeli participation in regional and international sports, including the upcoming Nations League matches against Italy, France and Belgium.
When governments and institutions fail to uphold justice and stop Israel’s #GazaGenocide, people of conscience must shoulder the moral responsibility to isolate apartheid Israel, just as apartheid South Africa was isolated.
26 August 2024
Source: bdsmovement.net