‘Football Must Not Mask Atrocities’: Palestinian Ambassador Speaks Out Ahead Of Ħamrun – Tel Aviv Game
As Ħamrun Spartans prepare to host Maccaibi Tel Aviv in tomorrow’s Europa League qualifier, the Palestinian ambassador to Malta called for a “moment of moral clarity”.
“The decision to host a sports competition featuring an Israeli team at a time when Israel continues it’s grave violations of international law – including starvation and acts that are the subject of ongoing investigations before the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court – raises serious questions about our collective commitment to universal human rights,” Fadi Hanania said.
“We cannot stand neutral in the face of such atrocities.”
“While sport is often considered neutral, neutrality cannot apply in the face of grave breaches of international law.”
Hanania said it is “deeply concerning” that Israeli teams are still allowed to participate in international sporting events, warning that sport shouldn’t be used “as a platform to normalise humanity violations”.
He said Israel has for decades systematically deprived the Palestinian people of the right to sport, among other human rights.
“In Gaza, all sports infrastructure has been deliberately destroyed as part of a broader policy of collective punishment,” he said.
“More than 300 Palestinian athletes have been killed, and entire stadiums have been reduced to rubble.”
“Football, once a vital refuge for Palestinian youth and a bridge to the outside world, has been annihilated.”
“Football has been the only refuge for Palestinian youth from the daily realities of oppression under occupation. Football is more than just a sport, it’s a way of life, yet in Palestine, this very lifeline has been systematically uprooted.”
“Football is meant to unite people, not to mask atrocities or normalise the destruction of an entire nation’s future.”
“To allow Israel to participate without accountability raises serious questions about double standards and undermines the moral foundations of international sport.”
“We call for a moment of moral clarity, urging international sporting bodies to reflect on their moral and legal responsibilities and to ensure that sport does not become a tool for whitewashing grave violations of international law.”
“Football must remain a symbol of humanity, not complicity.”
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