UN Calls on FIFA, UEFA to Suspend Israel’s National Team

(MENAFN) On Monday, United Nations experts urged FIFA and UEFA to immediately suspend Israel’s national football team from international events, labeling the move a “necessary response to address the ongoing genocide in the occupied Palestinian territory.”

“The conclusion of the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and Israel, that Israel is committing genocide is the latest in a growing number of international bodies affirming that genocide is being committed,” the experts stated. They emphasized the significance of the International Court of Justice’s interim order from January 26, 2024, which “reminded every country of its legal duty to act against genocide.”

“Sports must reject the perception that it is business as usual,” the statement continued. “Sporting bodies must not turn a blind eye to grave human rights violations, especially when their platforms are used to normalize injustices.”

The experts made clear the call is directed at the state of Israel, not individual athletes: “We have always maintained that individuals cannot bear the consequences of the decisions their government makes.”

Highlighting the urgency of the situation, they pressed FIFA to “stop legitimizing the situation arising from Israel's unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory,” and stressed, “There is a legal and moral imperative to take every measure possible to end the genocide in Gaza now.”

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