{"id":39083,"date":"2017-10-27T15:16:27","date_gmt":"2017-10-27T21:16:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=39083"},"modified":"2017-10-27T15:16:27","modified_gmt":"2017-10-27T21:16:27","slug":"fifa-in-final-ruling-on-palestinian-request-says-it-wont-sanction-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/fifa-in-final-ruling-on-palestinian-request-says-it-wont-sanction-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"FIFA, in final ruling on Palestinian request, says it won\u2019t sanction Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(JTA) \u2014 The FIFA soccer federation said it would not impose sanctions on Israel and its teams from the West Bank, rejecting repeated requests to do so by the Palestinian Authority.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s six West Bank teams, which play in lower level leagues, are located in the settlements of Maale Adumim, Ariel, Kiryat Arba, Givat Zeev, Oranit and the Jordan Valley. The Palestinians have asked for their exclusion from international matches and the Israeli soccer association, which is a FIFA member.<\/p>\n

The P.A. also sought punitive actions against Israel for its detainment of a soccer player suspected of terrorist activity and refusal to allow some Palestinian players to travel for matches.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe FIFA Council has decided to refrain from imposing any sanctions or other measures on either the Israel Football Association or the Palestinian Football Association, as well as from requesting any other FIFA body to do so,\u201d the organization wrote in a statement Friday, which referenced Israel\u2019s threat to pursue countermeasures against the Palestinians.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe matter is declared closed and will not be the subject of any further discussion until the legal and\/or de facto framework has changed,\u201d the statement<\/a>\u00a0also read.<\/p>\n

The decision was based on a report submitted by the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine chaired by Tokyo Sexwale and \u201cafter a thorough legal consultation process,\u201d the Switzerland-based world soccer body said.<\/p>\n

The current situation is, \u201cfor reasons that have nothing to do with football, characterized by an exceptional complexity and sensitivity\u201d and \u201ccan neither be ignored nor changed unilaterally by non-governmental organizations such as FIFA.\u201d In line with the general principle established in FIFA Statutes, it \u201cmust remain neutral with regard to political matters,\u201d the statement also read.<\/p>\n

Notwithstanding, \u201cthe FIFA administration will continue to facilitate the movement of players, officials and football equipment in, out of, and within Palestine \u2014 the aspect on which the FIFA Monitoring Committee Israel-Palestine has covered the most ground and achieved a positive response,\u201d the statement also read.<\/p>\n

The Palestinians\u00a0have also called for Israel to be removed from FIFA altogethe. They say having teams in the West Bank violates FIFA\u2019s rules, which state that \u201cMember associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter\u2019s approval.\u201d<\/p>\n

When Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, FIFA\u2019s European affiliate, UEFA, blocked Russia from incorporating teams from Crimea in its national league on the basis of the same rule.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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