Ramallah, Jul 23 (PL) The Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association demanded the exclusion of Israel from the Paris 2024 games because of the crimes committed by that country, especially in the Gaza Strip.
Leading national media published excerpts of a letter signed by both organizations and sent to the presidents of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Gianni Infantino.
The letter comes months after several Palestinian sports bodies provided information about systematic and continuous violations of the Olympic Charter and FIFA regulations by Israeli sector institutions, including the Olympic Committee and the Football Association.
The document stated that Israel violated the Olympic Truce, approved by a UN General Assembly resolution on the Paris 2024 games.
It recalled the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice that considered illegal the occupation of the occupied territories and demanded the immediate withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Allowing teams from that nation to participate in international soccer tournaments in these circumstances would undermine FIFA's basic objectives and the principles of human rights and non-discrimination, the text stated.
The letter noted that Palestinian athletes, especially in Gaza, are deprived of protection and suffer due to the ongoing conflict.
In this regard, it denounced that some 400 athletes were killed in that coastal enclave since the outbreak of the new cycle of violence on October 7 last year.
“Members of the Israeli Olympic delegation participated in racist, anti-Palestinian and anti-Islamic campaigns, as well as in fomenting war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as genocide,” it stresses.
Therefore, both organizations urged the IOC and FIFA to suspend the activity of Israeli teams in international competitions.
This call to action is crucial not only for the integrity of world sport, but also to show solidarity with the athletes and communities affected by the conflict, they said.
