Offside Yet Again…writes Michael Kuttner
The latest attempts to boycott, delegitimize and shun Israel are now playing out in the corridors of FIFA.
Michael Kuttner
Once again the offending party is the self-proclaimed legally non-existent State of Palestine. Taking advantage of a membership which should never have happened in the first place they are using their position to have FIFA expel the Jewish State and thereby bar it from participating in any international competitions. Every day on Europsport TV channel there are advertisements on behalf of FIFA which promote coexistence and kicking racism out of sport. It is therefore highly ironic but nevertheless symptomatic of how those who support the very antithesis of these noble ideals have managed to corrupt and manipulate the very organization which itself should be fighting tooth and nail to preserve and defend these goals.
Instead of the FIFA head dismissing outright the manufactured allegations brought against Israel he instead wastes his time gyrating between Jerusalem and Ramallah in a vain attempt to find some appeasing compromise. Talk of a “peace” tournament and other such meaningless gestures merely demonstrate to those whose sole aim is to punish Israel that no matter how outrageous the accusations, the worst that can happen will be a slap across the wrist and then business as usual. So long as limp responses are forthcoming the wave of such hate filled actions will increase and intensify.
Let’s look for a moment at who exactly is behind this unsporting campaign of delegitimisation. Those who are not familiar with the ringleader of the Jew hating gang hiding behind the Arab Palestinian smear battle will be surprised. Instead of some retired sports person or someone who has contributed to the advancement of tolerance the current incumbent who is head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Football Federation, is a former convicted jailed terrorist and the author of hate filled quotes against Jews and Israel.
His numerous statements could be taken straight out of the columns of any Nazi publication. This alone would have in any normal situation disqualified him from being in charge of anything to do with Olympics or Football. But then as we know from past bitter experience the International Olympic Committee was never one to stand up to racist thuggery against Jews or Israel, the 1936 Olympics and the Munich massacre fiasco and its subsequent non official commemoration being prime examples. This paragon of sportsmanship who instead of fostering the ideals which FIFA stands for, uses his position to spread poisonous accusations against Israel and does everything possible to sabotage acceptable sporting interaction.
Here are just some of Jibril Rajoub’s pronouncements. Judge for yourselves whether he is a suitably qualified individual to be a member of FIFA.
“Israel aims to eradicate Palestinian sports and destroy all means for its spread and development through its daily crimes against sportsmen in Palestine. He added: ‘[No such thing] has ever occurred in human history, not even in Hitler’s time. Not even Nazism, which everyone spurns, ever interfered and attacked sports and sportsmen, as is being done to the Palestinians.’”
“ “Deputy Secretary of the Fatah Central Committee Jibril Rajoub accused Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist right-wing Israeli government of repeating the acts of the Third Reich – the name the Nazi party gave to Germany under Hitler’s regime… Rajoub described the Israeli Prime Minister as a ‘Fuhrer’ leading a group of corrupt extremists, the likes of [Foreign Minister Avigdor] Liberman and [Minister of the Economy] Naftali Bennett, who have outdone Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, in their lies and racist Nazi acts…
“[Deputy Secretary of Fatah’s Central Committee,] Chairman of the Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the [Palestinian] Football Association Jibril Rajoub said any activity of normalization in sports with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity. He said that the position of the sports leadership on the issue is perfectly clear.
Rajoub’s statements were made in response to a sports activity held a few days ago (i.e., a football match between Palestinian and Israeli children sponsored by the Israeli Peres Center for Peace)…
Rajoub emphasized the following points:
- The game was an Israeli attempt to cover up their crimes against [Palestinian] athletes. It is a disgrace to use sports for this purpose.If there are Israeli parties who believe sport is a means of spreading values and peace, they should come out against the occupation’s crimes against Palestinian athletes, whether the restriction of their movement, the destruction of their [sports] facilities or the physical elimination of dozens of them…
3. For a while now the Palestinian sports leadership and community – the Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association – have opposed such activities.
4. I demand that all individuals and institutions distance themselves from such activities, especially because their recurrence would arouse disgust and aversion towards all members of the [Palestinian] sports community.”
Now if you think it couldn’t get worse, ponder on the following.
Sports tournaments organized by the PA are named in honor of terrorists who have murdered Israelis. Click on this PMW link and read for yourselves how sport is being manipulated by those who now have the chutzpah to want Israel expelled from FIFA for alleged racism.
http://www.palwatch.org/main.aspx?fi=157&doc_id=14933
Why FIFA is even wasting time seriously considering Rajoub’s demand to have Israel expelled is anyone’s guess. One would think that with all the corruption problems they have at the moment their attention would be focused elsewhere. The fact that someone like him and the inciters of hate he represents are even admitted to groups like FIFA, the UN and associated bodies, speaks volumes about the double standards, hypocrisy and moral bankruptcy of the international community.
The time is long overdue for the whistle to be blown and a red card issued.
Michael Kuttner is a Jewish New Zealander who for many years was actively involved with various communal organisations connected to Judaism and Israel. He now lives in Israel and is J-Wire’s correspondent in the region.
You are perfectly correct Michael; the whistle should be blown and a red card issued to the PA/Hamas frienemyship, firstly by the international community and secondly by Israel. Neither will happen. The international community is basically anti-Israel and largely antisemitic and the Israeli government is too gutless to slap down and muzzle its snarling, rabid enemy. Dogs not shown who the master is grow ever wilder.
That no Israeli government official has derided the lying, hysterical, fabricated libels by Rajoub and his gang, demonstrates that what passes for Jewish leadership is as much of a threat to the continued existence of Israel, as are its “friends” of the Obama and Hollande variety.