Germany’s biggest sports body, German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), has cancelled its cooperation with Palestinian Football Association (PFA), the German newspaper Die Tageszeitung (TAZ) reported.
The German decision came after concerns raised by Jerusalem-based Simon Wiesenthal Center following an exposé released by the media watchdog Palestinian Media Watch (PMW).
In an exposé release early February, Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) had highlighted the role of Palestinian Football Association’s President, Jibril Rajoub, in promoting Jihad and martyrdom against unarmed Israeli citizens.
Among other incendiary statements and his direct involvement in terrorism, Palestinian soccer chief Rajoub was on record glorifying acts of suicide bombing against Israelis, even calling suicide bombers “heroes” and “crowns on our heads”.
In February, several German and Arab language media outlets had reported the signing of a €400,000 German sponsorship for Palestinian soccer under the aegis of Palestinian Football Association (PFA) headed by Rajoub. According to a reported published by Berlin-based TAZ, that project has now been cancelled.
Representing 90 thousand sports clubs and 27 million members, German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) is the biggest sports organisation in Germany. Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported the decision taken by German sports body DOBS:
Immediately after the deal was signed, PMW released the bulletin “Germany signs sports agreement with terror-promoting PA official.” The Simon Wiesenthal Center followed up with an official complaint to the DOSB drawing documentation from PMW’s The Rajoub File. Today, the German daily taz.de reported that DOSB has withdrawn from the partnership.
German newspaper TAZ talked to the DOSB officials and published an exclusive report on Tuesday:
German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) has made a significant announcement. The spokeswomen for the DOSB, Ulrike Spitz, told TAZ that German-side has decided to quit the project aimed at promoting Palestinian soccer. As “all partners do not share high values of the sports”, DOSB has pulled itself out.With €400,000 allocated by the [German] Foreign Office, German trainer Gert Engels was to look after the professionalization of soccer in the West Bank and Gaza Stripes. The project would be “re-evaluated”. In other words: It would not be executed.According to the Foreign Office, there is willingness to “work together with relevant organisations”. During his visit to German, Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas has even agreed to investigate the allegations.Early February 2017, German government representative Peter Beerwerth has signed a memorandum of understanding with Jibril Rajoub, the sports official of the Palestinian Authority. Beerwerth should have known that Rajoub is not only the President of the Palestinian Football Association, but also a military advisor equivalent to the rank of Major General – and had quite a history. […]In 2013, Rajoub declared on television that “[…in the name of Allah,] if we had nuclear weapons, we would be using them.”Even in his job as sports official, Rajoub used his position to create confrontation — especially with Israel. In 2012, he criticised a request to hold minute of silence by the families of the victims of the [terrorist] attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics — calling it “racist”. A year later he prevented a soccer game between Israelis and Palestinians claiming that Israeli were “Nazis”. Time and again there are reports that soccer tournaments and cups, organised or sponsored by Rajoub’s association, are named after “martyrs”, in other words murderers who die in suicide attacks.Given these reasons, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Jerusalem had strongly protested against the German plans to promote sports in Palestinian Territories – particularly [a plan] not attached to any condition. Makkabi Germany, the Jewish sports association that is member of the DOSB, also criticised the project. “The funds must be frozen till the Palestinian side proves that it has changed itself fundamentally,” demanded Alon Meyer, President of Makkabi Germany. [Parentheses added by the translator, author’s translation]
Both PLO-Fatah and Hamas use sports, cultural events and even summer camps to indoctrinate young and impressionable Arab kids in the ideology of Jihad and Antisemitism. School books provided by international donors including the U.S., the European Union and the U.N. teach Jihad-martyrdom and Jew hatred to Arab children attending schools run by Palestinian Authority and Hamas. If western donors care about the future of Arab children growing up under Fatah and Hamas rule, they seriously need to ensure that their well-meaning tax-dollar don’t end up funding terrorism.
PMW Video: Terror promotion by Jibril Rajoub, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee.
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