The Palestinian cause has been used as a political football for decades. The Palestinian FA was finally granted entry into FiFA in 1998. Despite Fifa rules stipulating that a Fifa member cannot play on another member’s territory without permission, 6 clubs that play in the Israeli leagues based in the occupied West Bank are in direct violation of this law. Despite this issue being raised continually and causing several European MEPs to demand action from FIFA, the Israeli FA continues to flagrantly violate the laws of the international governing body. This tale is now becoming all too familiar in terms of Israel’s laissez-faire attitude towards international law.

The recent conflict has seen the shutting down of all football matches across both Israel and Palestine. Players from both Gaza and Israel have lost their lives. Successful Israeli footballer Lior Asulin was enjoying himself at a music festival when he was murdered by Hamas. In Palestine, the death toll of the FA’s members has been very extensive. In the West, we are blessed with the benefit of purely thinking of starting elevens based on ability, whereas in Palestine, Khalil Jadallah, a football commentator, took on the heartbreaking task of putting together a combined 11 recently, not of Palestine’s best players but of those murdered by Israeli violence. In a morbidly matter-of-fact way, Khalil told Al Jazeera “It is difficult to know exactly how many have died during this war because of the sheer amount of death.” No aspect of Palestinian life has been unaffected by the recent indiscriminate bombing and blockade, football is just one facet of life in Palestine that has ceased to function. 

Israel has reinforced its differential treatment of Palestinians and suppression of their national identity through football. In 2007, the Palestinian National team was forced to forfeit a match against Singapore because Israel refused to grant them exit visas. One of the first Palestinian footballers to make it to Europe’s top leagues, Oday Dabbagh, recalled in a Jacobin article the difficulties of playing professional football under Israeli occupation. His matches were regularly delayed by checkpoints, and games at Faisal Al-Husseini stadium were regularly abandoned when the stadium was tear-gassed by the IDF. Moreover, many players were denied permits to travel abroad. One of Dabbagh’s teammates was held in indefinite detention without charge for 8 months. Despite all of the hurdles to footballing success, Dabbagh has made his way to Europe via Kuwait playing first for Arouca in Portugal and then Charleroi in Belgium. His journey represents incredible perseverance in the face of obstacles, a microcosm of the indomitable human spirit of the Palestinian people. He dedicated his winning of the Kuwait Premier League whilst violence erupted at home to his countrymen “To my country, Palestine, which is hard to break. For my people, who refuse to succumb to humiliation, who do not know the meaning of surrender or defeat.” No matter what hardship his people face Dabbagh has unrelenting faith in the collective Palestinian resolve.

These obstacles are unique to Palestinians under occupation, a reality not shared by fellow footballers who are from Israel. From the Israeli national team: Oscar Gloukh is able to play for RB Salzburg, Liel Abada for Celtic, and Manor Solomon for Tottenham. This is the right they deserve, many of them are very talented footballers. Palestinian talent would be able to shine similarly if the obstacles to their success were removed. In the same way that a professional match cannot be played on uneven ground, the same is true of granting the disenfranchised Palestinians rights. For a lasting peace to be realised the playing field must be level. Until there is even ground there are no winners and everybody loses. 

 The barrier to a match for peace organized by FC Barcelona was Israeli’s refusal to cease the operation of football clubs in the occupied West Bank playing in the Israeli league. The nature of the barriers to peace are similar, until Israel follows international law, ends settlements in the West Bank, and ends apartheid(as defined by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International) there will be no peace even if it is desired by the innocent civilians of Palestine and Israel alike.