LIVE: Palestinians stop push to ban Israel from FIFA
There is no peace, not even in soccer
According to Haaretz, the Palestinians have backed off their push to ban Israel from FIFA. Watch live:
Haaretz reports:
4:50 P.M: Palestinian soccer chief welcomes Eini’s call for a handshake, but demands FIFA vote on compromise deal: “Let bygones be bygones,” Rajoub said.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter told the congress that at this point “there is no motion to ban any association from the league.”
4:45 P.M. Palestinians introduce amended version of proposal, which drops demand for banning Israel from FIFA, but includes the formation of a committee to look into the freedom of movement for Palestinian soccer players, Israeli racism, and the status of Israeli league teams based in the West Bank.
Proposal passes with 90 percent of nations voting in favor. FIFA president Blatter invited Israeli and Palestinian representatives Eini and Rajoub to shake hands.
4:40 P.M. Israel soccer federation chief Ofer Eini addresses FIFA conference, after a compromise deal with Palestinians was presented. Eini invited Rajoub to the stage to shake his hand, but the latter refused.
According to the compromise, should the Palestinians withdraw their proposal to ban Israel, Israel and FIFA would agree to form a joint committee to discuss ongoing issues faced by Palestinian soccer clubs. The deal also suggests the UN will decide the fate of five Israeli soccer teams based in the West Bank.
4:20 P.M. Palestinian soccer federation chief Jibril Rajoub takes to the stage to address the Palestinian bid to ban Israel from FIFA, saying the Palestinians have decided to drop overall bid.
Addressing the congress, Rajoub said the Palestinians still demand the UN look into the status of five Israeli teams based in the West Bank.
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Comments
“formation of a committee to look into the freedom of movement for Palestinian soccer players, Israeli racism, and the status of Israeli league teams based in the West Bank.”
Well, of course. With all the Israelis driving their cars into innocent crowds, slitting babies’ throats, hiding behind their women’s skirts, the Palestinians should be concerned. Imaging the monstrosity of people who do that???? (SARC)
Them Juice! Who in their right mind would object to a few people blown up, a few babies killed?
The deal also suggests the UN will decide the fate of five Israeli soccer teams based in the West Bank.
That’s not good. We already know the outcome of that. Basically the Israeli soccer federation has knowingly sacrificed these five teams, and was probably glad to do so while making the UN look like the “bad guys”. When the UN decides they must be expelled from the federation, the bureaucrats will say their hands are tied.
The vote was probably called off, because Qatar (and others maybe) was bribing people to expel Israel, even if the
bribery was more secret than usual.
If they had won, which they didn’t expect, there’d be an investigation, and even if they lost. Qatar maybe wasn’ even planning to win this time, but to build momentum, so that they wouldn’t face the possibility of hosting israel in 2022.
Bribery probably explains a lot of anti-Israel votes anyway at international organzations. I mean that is the best explanation as to why anti-Israel resolutions collect so many votes. It’s logrolling but there’s probably an element of bribery too, especially when they try to rack up the votes.
This isn’t just the case with anti-Israel votes, but alot of other votes, and is the reason countries that violate human rights the most wind up on human rights commissions.
In many cases governments are promised something or other – here it would be individuals. Now right nw a Swiss investigation has started into how both Russia and Qatar won the right to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022. Not the best time for more of the same.
The vote had to be cancelled because there might be some unusual YES votes to expel Israel, and even some usual ones might this time raise suspicions.
They may have had to phone in a bomb threat to delay the vote, to get the news to all people that the deal was off.
It’s true Israel was negotiating, but that would not have gone anywhere under other circumstances – at least it would not have caused acancellation of the vote.
It had been placed on the agenda at 11:22 am Swiss time. If negotiatiations were the reason, it wouldn’t have gone down to the wire like this.
The bomb threat came at about 2:30 pm Swiss time.
I think they needed the bomb threat to give themselves more time to work things out, or notify some people who were in the hall.
The proposal would have lost at this stage, but some people might have made themselves into targets of investigation.
The proposal wasn’t just withdrawn – there was a substitute which passed by 90% (nobody made themselves into atarget for investigation)
The substitute proposal for a committee be established to ensure free movement of players and goods, and for FIFA to ask the United Nations to decide whether five Israeli settler clubs should be permitted to continue in “occupied territories.”
the withdrawal of the resolution hapopenmed at the last moment which makes me think maybe the bomb threat was called in to get word.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/no-goal-rajoub-drops-fifa-sportsfare-attack-on-israel/2015/05/29/
See also:
http://scaramouchee.blogspot.com/2015/05/how-many-workers-must-die-in-order-for.html
http://www.algemeiner.com/2015/05/28/qatar-might-be-buying-votes-to-suspend-israel-from-fifa-israeli-diplomats-say/
http://pjmedia.com/richardfernandez/2015/05/28/players/
” Palestinians introduce amended version of proposal, which drops demand for banning Israel from FIFA, but includes the formation of a committee to look into the freedom of movement for Palestinian soccer players, Israeli racism, and the status of Israeli league teams based in the West Bank”
Congratulations, it’s too late in the day to hang you, we’ll do it Monday.
Enjoy your weekend.