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Arrests Overshadow Palestinians’ Bid to Oust Israel From FIFA Arrests Overshadow Palestinians’ Bid to Oust Israel From FIFA
(about 7 hours later)
ZURICH — The protesters outside the arena where FIFA staged the opening ceremony for its annual congress Thursday held Palestinian flags and blunt banners.ZURICH — The protesters outside the arena where FIFA staged the opening ceremony for its annual congress Thursday held Palestinian flags and blunt banners.
“Red Card Israel Apartheid,” one read. “Occupation = Segregation,” another said. “EXPEL Israel, Say NO to racism and discrimination.” “Red Card for Israel Apartheid,” one read. “Occupation = Segregation,” another said. “EXPEL Israel, Say NO to racism and discrimination.”
But as the congress convened, the Palestine Football Association’s proposal to oust its Israeli counterpart from FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, was overshadowed by the corruption scandal that had ensnared top FIFA executives the day before. After weeks of intense international attention, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they were suddenly struggling to get their competing messages through to the more than 200 national delegations that will decide Israel’s future participation if the proposal is put to a vote, as scheduled, on Friday.But as the congress convened, the Palestine Football Association’s proposal to oust its Israeli counterpart from FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, was overshadowed by the corruption scandal that had ensnared top FIFA executives the day before. After weeks of intense international attention, Israeli and Palestinian officials said they were suddenly struggling to get their competing messages through to the more than 200 national delegations that will decide Israel’s future participation if the proposal is put to a vote, as scheduled, on Friday.
“We are caught in between,” said an official from Israel’s Foreign Ministry who is part of the diplomatic SWAT team sent here, speaking on the condition of anonymity according to guidelines set by Israel. “It’s pushing our story a bit to the side, because everybody is now mainly concerned about the corruption issue and has less time for us.”“We are caught in between,” said an official from Israel’s Foreign Ministry who is part of the diplomatic SWAT team sent here, speaking on the condition of anonymity according to guidelines set by Israel. “It’s pushing our story a bit to the side, because everybody is now mainly concerned about the corruption issue and has less time for us.”
The official said that Ofer Eini, the president of the Israel Football Association, and Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian association’s president, had met separately on Thursday with FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, but that no compromise had been brokered to avoid the contentious vote.The official said that Ofer Eini, the president of the Israel Football Association, and Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian association’s president, had met separately on Thursday with FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter, but that no compromise had been brokered to avoid the contentious vote.
Mr. Blatter has been pushing a four-point plan that would give Palestinian athletes and sports officials special identity cards to ease their travel through Israeli checkpoints and border crossings, remove Israeli import tariffs on equipment and promote the building of fields and facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The plan emerged from Mr. Blatter’s shuttle-diplomacy mission last week in which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah.Mr. Blatter has been pushing a four-point plan that would give Palestinian athletes and sports officials special identity cards to ease their travel through Israeli checkpoints and border crossings, remove Israeli import tariffs on equipment and promote the building of fields and facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The plan emerged from Mr. Blatter’s shuttle-diplomacy mission last week in which he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in Jerusalem and President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
A Palestinian official involved in the suspension campaign said the proposed plan represented progress, so long as FIFA was involved in monitoring its implementation, but it did not address two critical components of the Palestinian complaint: the racism of fans of one professional club, Beitar Jerusalem, who routinely chant “Death to Arabs” at games, and the inclusion in Israeli leagues of five teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank.A Palestinian official involved in the suspension campaign said the proposed plan represented progress, so long as FIFA was involved in monitoring its implementation, but it did not address two critical components of the Palestinian complaint: the racism of fans of one professional club, Beitar Jerusalem, who routinely chant “Death to Arabs” at games, and the inclusion in Israeli leagues of five teams from settlements in the occupied West Bank.
“On the issue of the settlement teams, there will be no compromise,” said the Palestinian official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “Those teams are not playing in Israeli territory; if you go to the State Department or anywhere else, they would say they are in occupied territory. FIFA works with what are internationally recognized borders.”“On the issue of the settlement teams, there will be no compromise,” said the Palestinian official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity, because he was not authorized to speak publicly. “Those teams are not playing in Israeli territory; if you go to the State Department or anywhere else, they would say they are in occupied territory. FIFA works with what are internationally recognized borders.”
The Israelis say the status of settlements is an issue to be decided at the political negotiating table, that it should not be allowed to encroach on the soccer field, and that excluding those five communities would deprive hundreds of youths of opportunities to play. The Israeli daily Haaretz posted an article Thursday night quoting an Israeli official saying that Mr. Rajoub was willing to call off the suspension vote only if FIFA asked the United Nations Secretary General to decide the participation of the settlement teams within three months.The Israelis say the status of settlements is an issue to be decided at the political negotiating table, that it should not be allowed to encroach on the soccer field, and that excluding those five communities would deprive hundreds of youths of opportunities to play. The Israeli daily Haaretz posted an article Thursday night quoting an Israeli official saying that Mr. Rajoub was willing to call off the suspension vote only if FIFA asked the United Nations Secretary General to decide the participation of the settlement teams within three months.
The FIFA congress has for the past few weeks been a focal point for the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, with top politicians, columnists and sportscasters weighing in. Thursday’s Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, the two leading Hebrew newspapers, gave prominent display to articles about the soccer dispute, and Mr. Rajoub was featured on Israel Radio’s noon magazine show.The FIFA congress has for the past few weeks been a focal point for the Israeli-Palestinian struggle, with top politicians, columnists and sportscasters weighing in. Thursday’s Yediot Aharonot and Israel Hayom, the two leading Hebrew newspapers, gave prominent display to articles about the soccer dispute, and Mr. Rajoub was featured on Israel Radio’s noon magazine show.
“For years, I talked to anyone I could so that Israel would change its policy and be fair in how it treated Palestinian athletes — it was in vain,” Mr. Rajoub said. “Now, there will either be a solution that will make it possible for us to practice sports, or reach a situation that I don’t wish on anyone, and that is suspension. But who is responsible for this? I think it is the Israeli government.”“For years, I talked to anyone I could so that Israel would change its policy and be fair in how it treated Palestinian athletes — it was in vain,” Mr. Rajoub said. “Now, there will either be a solution that will make it possible for us to practice sports, or reach a situation that I don’t wish on anyone, and that is suspension. But who is responsible for this? I think it is the Israeli government.”
Palestinian Media Watch, an advocacy group that monitors Arabic news and social media, issued a special report that quoted Mr. Rajoub condemning the coexistence of sports programs with Israelis as “a crime against humanity” on his Facebook page. The report documented examples of sporting events honoring Palestinians who had killed Israelis in terrorist attacks, and of Mr. Abbas praising one of the men involved in the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.Palestinian Media Watch, an advocacy group that monitors Arabic news and social media, issued a special report that quoted Mr. Rajoub condemning the coexistence of sports programs with Israelis as “a crime against humanity” on his Facebook page. The report documented examples of sporting events honoring Palestinians who had killed Israelis in terrorist attacks, and of Mr. Abbas praising one of the men involved in the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.
By Thursday night, Israeli news media reported that Mr. Netanyahu had told reporters at a rare briefing ahead of the FIFA vote that it was “a blunt politicization of sports.”By Thursday night, Israeli news media reported that Mr. Netanyahu had told reporters at a rare briefing ahead of the FIFA vote that it was “a blunt politicization of sports.”
“Any attempt to hurt Israel will destroy FIFA,” Mr. Netanyahu said, according to Ynet, an Israeli news site. “The efforts to suspend Israel are extremely severe, and we will categorically oppose them.”“Any attempt to hurt Israel will destroy FIFA,” Mr. Netanyahu said, according to Ynet, an Israeli news site. “The efforts to suspend Israel are extremely severe, and we will categorically oppose them.”
Suspension requires the support of 75 percent of FIFA members present for the vote, Mr. Blatter said last week. So the Palestinian and Israeli delegations have been lobbying on the sidelines of the conclave for days.Suspension requires the support of 75 percent of FIFA members present for the vote, Mr. Blatter said last week. So the Palestinian and Israeli delegations have been lobbying on the sidelines of the conclave for days.
Tamir Gilat, a vice chairman of Israel’s soccer federation, said he and Mr. Rajoub were each given 10 minutes Wednesday to address the 56 member-delegations of the African soccer federation in a conference room of a Marriott overlooking the River Limmat in central Zurich. It was a bit more than a mile away from the Baur au Lac hotel, where the Swiss authorities had arrested FIFA executives four hours earlier.Tamir Gilat, a vice chairman of Israel’s soccer federation, said he and Mr. Rajoub were each given 10 minutes Wednesday to address the 56 member-delegations of the African soccer federation in a conference room of a Marriott overlooking the River Limmat in central Zurich. It was a bit more than a mile away from the Baur au Lac hotel, where the Swiss authorities had arrested FIFA executives four hours earlier.
Mr. Rajoub spoke first. When it was Mr. Gilat’s turn, he said, delegates from Muslim countries — about a third of those present — walked out.Mr. Rajoub spoke first. When it was Mr. Gilat’s turn, he said, delegates from Muslim countries — about a third of those present — walked out.
“How can you leave? How can you not have a discussion?” he asked, rhetorically, in an interview in Zurich on Thursday.“How can you leave? How can you not have a discussion?” he asked, rhetorically, in an interview in Zurich on Thursday.
Mr. Gilat said he believed, or at least hoped, that “logic will prevail” and the vote on suspending Israel would be removed from the agenda. If not, and the Palestinians prevail, he said, “It would be a disaster.”Mr. Gilat said he believed, or at least hoped, that “logic will prevail” and the vote on suspending Israel would be removed from the agenda. If not, and the Palestinians prevail, he said, “It would be a disaster.”
“Sports are supposed to be a great unifying event, supposed to be a bridge,” Mr. Gilat said. “Instead, it will drive countries apart. This week, it will be Israel-Palestine; next week, it will be Ukraine and Russia, then India and Pakistan, and then North Korea and South Korea. It is a door that cannot be opened.”“Sports are supposed to be a great unifying event, supposed to be a bridge,” Mr. Gilat said. “Instead, it will drive countries apart. This week, it will be Israel-Palestine; next week, it will be Ukraine and Russia, then India and Pakistan, and then North Korea and South Korea. It is a door that cannot be opened.”