Fatah official Rajoub on Argentina’s cancellation of a friendly football match with Israel: “the Argentinian national team clearly gave a slap to this Israeli fascism, Nazism, and racism”
Official PA TV News, on Argentina’s cancellation of the friendly football match between the Israeli and Argentinian national teams in Jerusalem on June 9, 2018, phone interview with Fatah Central Committee Secretary and Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub
Fatah Central Committee Secretary and Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub: “We on our side, as I have said, made contact with all of the international bodies… and Argentinian public opinion and discussed the need to stop and issue a red card to this political match (i.e., a friendly football match between the Israeli and Argentinian national teams scheduled to take place on June 9, 2018, in Jerusalem), with some of the details being that for the first time the Israel [Football] Association (IFA) invited 8 players [to the team] from within the Green Line (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel; the Green Line is the ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries, 1949-1967), in other words Palestinians (i.e., Israeli Arabs), and said that it wants to have them participate in the match.”
Official PA TV host: “This is a political and sports victory, Mr. Rajoub, yes.
Jibril Rajoub: “No, of course. They are exploiting sport as a means to cover their crimes and cover their harming of three issues - international legitimacy, but also human rights, and FIFA’s laws and regulations. In any case, now the game is cancelled. We on our side, as Palestinian athletes and as the Palestinian Sports Council, with the extent of the Arab and Islamic support of course, are supported by our Arab and Islamic backing - but what the Argentinian public did, and likewise the players themselves, and also the pope’s cancellation of the reception for the Argentinian national team - this had its consequences. All of these efforts, here and there, ended with an Argentinian decision that we appreciate and honor. Tomorrow I will give a press conference at 12:00 p.m. at the [Joseph] Blatter Academy [for football in El-Bireh]. I hope that all of the journalists will come because there will be a review of all the conversations and efforts that were made. As I said, there are Palestinian bodies and non-Palestinian bodies... I think that for this reason we succeeded in thwarting the Israelis’ politicization of the sport. This is a slap to the Israeli government that invested millions so that [the match] would be in Jerusalem and so that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport] Miri Regev would be photographed with [Argentinian football player Lionel] Messi and the stars of the Argentinian national team; but Messi and the Argentinian national team clearly gave a slap to this Israeli fascism, Nazism, and racism. Indeed today Miri Regev said: ‘You will see who will do a photo shoot with Messi - me or someone else? And Jerusalem the capital of-’ (PMW could find no record of any such statement by Regev -Ed.) and so on and so forth. I think that the values, morals, and message of sport triumphed today.”
Jibril Rajoub also holds the following positions: Head of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA).
Green Line - 1949-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following Israel's War of Independence (1948-1949). Land within the Green Line is all part of the State of Israel since 1949. Land outside the Green Line includes East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights.
Fatah Central Committee Secretary and Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub: “We on our side, as I have said, made contact with all of the international bodies… and Argentinian public opinion and discussed the need to stop and issue a red card to this political match (i.e., a friendly football match between the Israeli and Argentinian national teams scheduled to take place on June 9, 2018, in Jerusalem), with some of the details being that for the first time the Israel [Football] Association (IFA) invited 8 players [to the team] from within the Green Line (i.e., Palestinian term for Israel; the Green Line is the ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries, 1949-1967), in other words Palestinians (i.e., Israeli Arabs), and said that it wants to have them participate in the match.”
Official PA TV host: “This is a political and sports victory, Mr. Rajoub, yes.
Jibril Rajoub: “No, of course. They are exploiting sport as a means to cover their crimes and cover their harming of three issues - international legitimacy, but also human rights, and FIFA’s laws and regulations. In any case, now the game is cancelled. We on our side, as Palestinian athletes and as the Palestinian Sports Council, with the extent of the Arab and Islamic support of course, are supported by our Arab and Islamic backing - but what the Argentinian public did, and likewise the players themselves, and also the pope’s cancellation of the reception for the Argentinian national team - this had its consequences. All of these efforts, here and there, ended with an Argentinian decision that we appreciate and honor. Tomorrow I will give a press conference at 12:00 p.m. at the [Joseph] Blatter Academy [for football in El-Bireh]. I hope that all of the journalists will come because there will be a review of all the conversations and efforts that were made. As I said, there are Palestinian bodies and non-Palestinian bodies... I think that for this reason we succeeded in thwarting the Israelis’ politicization of the sport. This is a slap to the Israeli government that invested millions so that [the match] would be in Jerusalem and so that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu and [Israeli Minister of Culture and Sport] Miri Regev would be photographed with [Argentinian football player Lionel] Messi and the stars of the Argentinian national team; but Messi and the Argentinian national team clearly gave a slap to this Israeli fascism, Nazism, and racism. Indeed today Miri Regev said: ‘You will see who will do a photo shoot with Messi - me or someone else? And Jerusalem the capital of-’ (PMW could find no record of any such statement by Regev -Ed.) and so on and so forth. I think that the values, morals, and message of sport triumphed today.”
Jibril Rajoub also holds the following positions: Head of the PLO Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Palestine Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the Palestinian Scout Association (PSA).
Green Line - 1949-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and the neighboring Arab countries (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) following Israel's War of Independence (1948-1949). Land within the Green Line is all part of the State of Israel since 1949. Land outside the Green Line includes East Jerusalem, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Golan Heights.