NEW YORK - The World Jewish Congress and its member communities around the world have been actively urging the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) and its national Council representatives to block an attempt by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) to kick out Israel from FIFA.
Following the Palestinian attempt to expel six Israeli teams operating across the Green Line, the Israel-Palestine Monitoring Committee at the FIFA Congress (the organization’s supreme body) deliberated at its last session this issue including taking punitive measures against the Israel Football Association (IFA). At the time, it was decided to postpone the vote on three recommendations for action proposed by the FIFA Monitoring Committee on Israel and Palestine, led by Tokyo Sexwale of South Africa.
The decision stipulated that the issue of settlement teams would not be taken off of FIFA's agenda entirely, but rather that the FIFA committee would be given a nine-month extension through March 2018, to continue its efforts to find an agreeable solution to the issue.
At the meeting in Kolkata on Friday, the Israel-Palestine Monitoring Committee will raise this issue again to the FIFA Council and push for a decision to be made.
The World Jewish Congress believes it would be a grave mistake for FIFA to become a new political battleground within the context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. FIFA should avoid taking positions that are biased against one of its members, and must not allow politics and sports to mix.
Such action would contradict international agreements and constitute clear discrimination against Israel.
WJC President Ronald S. Lauder has held high-level talks with Tokyo Sexwale, the chairman of the Israel-Palestine Monitoring Committee over the matter to pressure him not to allow the Palestinian Football Association to use FIFA as a political tool.
The WJC enlisted its community leaderships to contact their respective national football associations to ensure that there is a consensus on the issue before any vote can take place, and dozens of communities in countries with council membership have responded to the call to action.
