Israel’s blockade of Gaza will be highlighted by the World Cup in Qatar

• A Palestinian football player, was contented.
• He was ecstatic to know Qatar was hosting 2022 World Cup.
• Fadi Jaber began his athletic career at a young age.

Fadi Jaber, a Palestinian football player, was ecstatic when Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup.

Jaber, a 32-year-old professional football player for a nearby club in the besieged Gaza Strip, began his athletic career at a young age and later joined the Palestinian national squad.

The first time an Arab nation would host the World Cup was a beautiful event, according to Fadi, who spoke to Al Jazeera.

“My fellow footballers and I were ecstatic at the time. We had hoped to be there to see the World Cup or maybe even participate in it.

However, Jaber and his colleagues were aware that it would be challenging due to Israel’s travel restrictions rather than the football.

The idea of travelling anywhere has become impossible because to Israel’s 15-year-old blockade, which limits Palestinians in the Gaza Strip’s freedom of movement.

More than two million Gazans are subject to severe travel restrictions as a result of Israel’s blockade, which was put in place in 2007. Human rights organizations have called the impoverished territory the greatest open-air jail in the world.

Traveling via either the Israel-run Erez border or Egypt’s Rafah crossing is difficult for people in Gaza. Added Fadi. For Palestinians, the crossing is known as Beit Hanoon, whereas in Israel it is called Erez.

“Traveling to attend the World Cup is a luxury here. People in Gaza consider travelling as something for an urgent need and it’s not as normal as other countries.”

The World Cup in Qatar will begin on November 20. It has become a highly anticipated event for the majority of Arabs in the area, especially those in Gaza, as it is the first football World Cup to be hosted in the Middle East.

The world of sports is also affected by Israel’s limitations on travel from Gaza, particularly for football players who must go outside of Gaza to compete in tournaments and have trouble transiting between the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Local, regional, and continental competitions have been off-limits to Jaber and his teammates from the national squad. “I cannot travel to the West Bank to participate in local and Arab tournaments as a football player for the Palestinian national team.”

“My teammates and I frequently lament the opportunities that could have transformed our football careers.” Gaza-based Palestinian players are subjected to oppression. We are a member of the Palestinian people and are held to the same standards of behavior as everyone else by Israel.

Palestinians claim that their national squad was not allowed to travel in a safe environment, despite FIFA, the world governing body of football, consistently emphasizing this requirement.

Jaber thinks FIFA hasn’t done enough to help Gaza’s Palestinian footballers advance their careers and get to Qatar for the World Cup.

Israel “does not abide by any international or human rights organizations, including FIFA,” he claimed.

Where are the concerts for Palestine?

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Where is the minutes silence at football matches for Palestine?
Where are the media appeals for Palestine?
Where is the criticism of the invading Israel army committing genocide?
Where are the celebrities and their crocodile tears?

— Mark Hebden 💙 (@unionlib) April 16, 2022

FIFA has turned a ‘blind eye’

The Euro-Mediterranean Observer’s regional director, Ramy Abdu, however, told Al Jazeera that FIFA “has always applied considerable pressure on numerous nations to push them to abide by human rights principles.”

“FIFA put pressure on Iran to allow women to watch football matches, and lately, Russian clubs were suspended,” he claimed.
However, he claims that FIFA has “turned a blind eye” to Israeli crimes, which extend beyond the political and humanitarian spheres to include the sports sphere as well.

“Israel has regularly prevented Palestinian footballers from travelling between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, impeding the holding of the Palestine final matches.

“Now, residents of the Gaza Strip will be unable to travel through the Israeli-controlled Erez crossing to attend the World Cup matches in Qatar, cementing the fact that the 15-year-old Israeli blockade suffocates all aspects of Palestinians’ daily lives in the Strip.”

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