Israel’s regime of settler-colonialism and apartheid, which has oppressed Indigenous Palestinians since 1948, prevents Palestinians from practicing their sports.

During Israel’s genocidal attacks on Gaza, the Israeli military occupied Al Yarmouk stadium, transforming it into a detention, torture and interrogation center, 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. Racism against Palestinians is institutionalized in Israeli sports – from segregated youth football leagues to anti-Palestinian hate from fan clubs that goes routinely unpunished. In addition, Israeli football and basketball clubs based in illegal settlements are allowed to compete in official Israeli leagues, making international governing bodies FIFA and FIBA complicit in Israel’s violations of international law. Despite all this, Western dominated sports bodies have looked the other way, refusing to take action. More than 300 Palestinian sports clubs and dozens of civil society organizations are calling to #BanIsrael from the Olympics. Join Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS, a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity) as they seek to ban Israel from international sports forums, including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and FIFA, until it ends its grave crimes against Palestinians and its attacks on Palestinian sports. Israel uses sports in its efforts to improve its image while committing grave crimes against Palestinians, including athletes. Grassroots campaigning can put pressure on hypocritical, Western-dominated world sports bodies to hold Israel to account and raise awareness on the conditions of Palestinian sports among sports fans.

Links:
Ban Apartheid Israel from Sports

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