Deputy Secretary of Fatah: Football match between Israeli and Palestinian children is "a crime against humanity"
Headline: "Rajoub: 'Normalization in sports with the Zionist occupation is a crime'"
"[Deputy Secretary of Fatah's Central Committee,] Head of the [Palestinian] Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the [Palestinian] Football Association Jibril Rajoub said any activity of normalization in sports with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity. He said that the position of the sports [community] leadership on the issue is perfectly clear.
Rajoub's statements were made in response to a sports activity held a few days ago (i.e., a football match between Palestinian and Israeli children sponsored by the Israeli Peres Center for Peace).
This [event] was publicized by internet sites and local newspapers.
Rajoub emphasized the following points:
"[Deputy Secretary of Fatah's Central Committee,] Head of the [Palestinian] Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, Chairman of the Olympic Committee, and Chairman of the [Palestinian] Football Association Jibril Rajoub said any activity of normalization in sports with the Zionist enemy is a crime against humanity. He said that the position of the sports [community] leadership on the issue is perfectly clear.
Rajoub's statements were made in response to a sports activity held a few days ago (i.e., a football match between Palestinian and Israeli children sponsored by the Israeli Peres Center for Peace).
This [event] was publicized by internet sites and local newspapers.
Rajoub emphasized the following points:
1. The game was an Israeli attempt to cover up their crimes against [Palestinian] athletes. It is a disgrace to use sports for this purpose.
2. If there are Israeli parties who believe sport is a means of spreading values and peace, they should come out against the occupation's crimes against Palestinian athletes, whether the restriction of their movement, the destruction of their [sports] facilities or the physical elimination of dozens of them...
3. For a while now the Palestinian sports leadership and community - the Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association - have opposed such activities.
4. I demand that all individuals and institutions distance themselves from such activities, especially because their recurrence would arouse disgust and aversion towards all members of the [Palestinian] sports community."
2. If there are Israeli parties who believe sport is a means of spreading values and peace, they should come out against the occupation's crimes against Palestinian athletes, whether the restriction of their movement, the destruction of their [sports] facilities or the physical elimination of dozens of them...
3. For a while now the Palestinian sports leadership and community - the Supreme Council for Sport and Youth Affairs, the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association - have opposed such activities.
4. I demand that all individuals and institutions distance themselves from such activities, especially because their recurrence would arouse disgust and aversion towards all members of the [Palestinian] sports community."
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Sept. 8, 2014,
and posted on Jibril Rajoub's official Facebook page, Sept. 6, 2014]
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