International call for Israel to be suspended from World Cup
PV staff
By most mainstream media accounts, the Paris Olympics were a tremendous success. But one of groups that was left unimpressed is the Palestine solidarity movement.
In response to Israel’s genocidal siege of Gaza, during the lead-up to the Games the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to bar Israel from competing, as happened to apartheid South Africa.
The IOC received messages from the Palestinian Olympic Committee, the Palestinian Football Association, the Asian Football Confederation, more than one million signatures from people around the world, members of parliament, international athletes, international jurists, and Nelson Mandela’s grandson Mandla Mandela, all calling for Israel to be banned from the Games.
The BDS movement notes that Israel’s apartheid regime denies Palestinians their basic rights, including cultural rights such as practicing sports. In its calls to the IOC, BDS pointed out that Israel has killed and maimed dozens of Palestinian athletes, and has destroyed sports facilities.
“During Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza, the Israeli military occupied Al Yarmouk stadium, transforming it into a detention, torture and interrogation centre, before completely destroying it.
“Palestinian players and athletes are routinely attacked, imprisoned and killed. Athletes are denied freedom of movement to attend their own matches, competitions and trainings. Palestinian stadiums and sports infrastructures have been bombed and destroyed. Israel even prevents sports equipment from being imported and sports facilities from being developed.
“But well before Israel’s genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in the occupied and besieged Gaza Strip, Israel has deliberately and systematically destroyed Palestinian stadiums and sports infrastructures and detained Palestinian players and athletes. It has restricted their freedom of movement, banning Palestinian athletes in the occupied West Bank from training with their counterparts in the Gaza Strip, and subjecting them to interrogations at checkpoints when traveling across the West Bank or abroad to take part in international competitions. Israeli forces have in the past deliberately targeted the feet of teenage Palestinian footballers with live ammunition.”
BDS also describes how racism against Palestinians is institutionalized in Israeli sports, from segregated youth football leagues to anti-Palestinian hate from fan clubs. The movement argues that international sports governing bodies are complicit in Israel’s violations of international law, as they allow Israeli sports clubs in illegal settlements to compete.
“Israel allows football and basketball teams based in its illegal settlements built on stolen Palestinian land to play in its official leagues. FIFA, FIBA and the IOC have failed to take action against Israel for its inclusion of these illegal teams in its official leagues and for its attacks on Palestinian sports.
“By failing to act, these sporting bodies are allowing Israel to sportswash its forced displacement of Palestinians, its apartheid regime and its genocidal military assaults on Palestinians.
“These same sporting bodies immediately imposed sanctions on Russia shortly after its illegal invasion of Ukraine, while not only refusing to hold Israel accountable for it decades long record of grave crimes against Palestinians, which now include genocide, but actively shielding it from accountability as well.”
But despite more than 300 Palestinian sports clubs and dozens of civil society organizations calling on the IOC to impose a ban, the sports body welcomed Israel to the Paris Olympics. In fact, Games organizers even tried to prevent Palestine solidarity protests from occurring. The BDS movement said that many forms of protest did occur, in spite of these efforts.
“Despite their repressive measures, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and host country France were unable to stop the many creative protests against the participation of apartheid Israel.
“Algerian Judoka Messaoud Dris refused to compete against the representative of Israel’s genocidal regime, while judokas Nurali Emomali from Tajikistan and Abderrahman Bushita from Morocco refused to shake hands with Israeli representatives.
“Fans held Palestinian flags and banners reading ‘Genocide Olympics’ and wore t-shirts spelling out ‘Free Palestine’ in the stadiums where Israel’s Team Genocide competed.
“Graffiti along the banks of the Seine river denounced Israel’s Gaza genocide during the opening ceremony. An activist rappelled down a tall building with the Palestinian flag on her back. The Israeli cycling team was met with Palestinian flags and a genocide banner. Paris was plastered with stickers and posters on the Genocide Games.
“The hashtags #BanIsrael and #GenocideGames were trending on social media.
“Conscientious athletes, groups on the ground in Paris, and [BDS activists around the world] kept the spotlight on Israel’s Gaza genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians during the Olympics. Together, we made this a story the press could not ignore.”
At the conclusion of the Games, the BDS movement condemned the IOC for “sportswashing” Israel’s genocidal actions and said it was turning its attention now to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by Canada, the US and Mexico.
“Today, the #GenocideGames come to a close in Paris.
“Through it all, genocidal Israel continues to massacre, burn and starve masses of Palestinians in Gaza, with the death toll standing at 40,000, including hundreds of athletes.
“Through it all, international sporting bodies like the IOC and FIFA continue to shamefully shield Israel from accountability for its trifecta of crimes against Palestinians: war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
“FIFA postponed a planned decision on banning Israel from world football until the end of this month, guaranteeing genocidal Israel’s football team a chance to compete at the Olympics.
“FIFA could have and should have acted years ago to ban apartheid Israel from the beautiful game, as organizations representing millions, UN officials, footballers, and nearly 200 members of parliament demanded.
“The 47-member Asian Football Confederation, a FIFA organization, has called for Israel to be banned from FIFA. Petitions calling on FIFA to ban Israel have garnered more than 500,000 signatures.
“One thing we know: FIFA and Israel are worried. Let’s step up the pressure.”
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