Amman, Sept. 23 (Petra) – A group of United Nations human rights experts called on the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) to suspend Israel’s participation in international football competitions in response to the ongoing mass killings in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Among the experts were Alexandra Xanthaki, UN Special Rapporteur on Cultural Rights, and Francesca Albanese, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories.
In a statement released in Geneva on Tuesday, the experts cited findings from the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry, which indicate that Israel is committing acts amounting to genocide in the occupied Palestinian territories. They stressed that international obligations to prevent and punish genocide apply universally, at all times, without exception.
The experts emphasized that sport cannot ignore grave human rights violations, noting that countries hosting international sports organizations or tournaments or engaging in competitions with Israel share a responsibility to respond to the ongoing genocide.
The statement urged FIFA and UEFA to stop legitimizing the status resulting from Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories and to uphold their obligations by refraining from providing any support or assistance that could help maintain Israel’s unlawful presence in the occupied territories.
//Petra// AF
