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A demonstrator asking on a board to expel Israel from the FIFA takes part in a protest prior to the opening of the 65th FIFA Congress on May 28, 2015 in Zurich. (AFP/Fabrice Coffrini)

UPDATE

Palestinian West Bank Soccer Team to Play in Gaza

by Nidal Al-Mughrabi for Reuters, published in Haaretz August 4, 2015

REUTERS - A Palestinian soccer team from the Gaza Strip will host West Bank opposition for the first time in 15 years on Thursday after Israel gave the visitors permission to cross its territory for the clash between the two lands' respective cup holders.

The Gaza Strip's Shujaiyeh and Al-Ahly from Hebron in the West Bank will play in a fixture that appeared in doubt before the permit granted by Israel, whose territory separates Gaza and the West Bank.

The return leg in Hebron is scheduled for August 9 and the winners of the Palestine Cup will play in the next Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup.

Prior to Al-Ahly's arrival in Gaza on Tuesday, Palestinian officials said Israel was blocking the team's entry. They had originally been expected to enter Gaza on Monday.

Gaza sports official Abdel-Salam Haniyeh said Israel appeared to have relented under international pressure and a complaint by the Palestine FA (PFA) to world football's governing body FIFA.

The Israeli office that oversees movement in and out of Gaza told Reuters that Al-Ahly's travel had been approved but did not comment whether there was a change of heart or a delay in issuing the team's travel permits.

Haniyeh said the match was a milestone for Palestinian football and could lead to unified competitions for Gaza and West Bank teams. Palestinians want the two territories to be part of a future independent state, together with East Jerusalem.

"This is an achievement for the Palestinian sports family and is a first step towards a unified Palestinian league and cup tournament," Haniyeh told Reuters at a lavish reception for the West Bank visitors at a Gaza hotel.

"I am full of honour and pride, this is the first time I have ever visited Gaza and I can't find the words to describe my feelings," Al-Ahly forward Khaldon al-Halman told Reuters.

Israel took all three territories in a 1967 war. It quit Gaza in 2005 but maintains a partial blockade of the territory ruled by the Islamist Hamas group. Hamas and Israel have fought three wars since 2008. A ceasefire has prevailed since August 2014 following a 50-day conflict.

At the annual FIFA Congress in May, Palestine threatened to call for a vote for Israel's suspension from world football but it dropped its motion at the last minute and FIFA agreed to send observers to monitor the situation.

The PFA has complained that Israel restricts the movement of players and officials to and from the Palestinian territories.

Israel cites security concerns for the restrictions, although it says it has eased travel recently.
read more: http://www.haaretz.com/beta/1.669584
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JERUSALEM (Ma’an) August 2, 2015 -- The Israeli authorities on Sunday denied Palestinian footballers from the occupied West Bank visa permits to enter Gaza to face a rival team in the first leg of a cup competition, the Palestinian Football Association said.

The Israeli authorities denied the players and managers of Ahli al-Khalil, based in Hebron, visas to enter Gaza to play Ittihad al-Shujaiyeh at the Yarmouk stadium for the first leg of the Palestine Cup.

The PFA decried the move by Israeli authorities as "racist policies towards Palestinian sports."

The entry permits were reportedly denied due to "security reasons," the PFA added, without elaborating.

The match was scheduled for Tuesday and touted as a symbol of Palestinian unity after last year's devastating conflict with Israel and months of political backbiting.

It would have been the first time the rival teams played each other in 15 years.

According to Gazan sports journalist Ashraf Matar, as many as 10,000 fans can pack into the Yarmouk stadium.

In May, PFA President Jibril Rajoub dropped a bid to suspend Israel from FIFA minutes before the bid was brought to the table.

The football governing body voted instead on an amendment proposing the formation of a committee to monitor the movement of Palestinian football players, Israeli racism, as well as the status of Israeli league teams based in illegal Jewish-only settlements in the West Bank.

The last minute bid changes left FIFA members looking on in confusion as the PFA and Rajoub had for months been saying they would not succumb to pressure to drop the bid.

The move was also widely criticized by Palestinian political factions and civil society, who called for Rajoub's resignation.

Routine restrictions placed on Palestinian players by Israeli authorities under the pretext of security has long hindered the Palestinian National Football team's ability to play.

Current and former players have spoken of hours held at checkpoints, being shot at with live Israeli ammunition, the ongoing restriction of their movement, and rampant racist verbal abuse at football matches that the Israel Football Association has ignored.

AFP contributed to this report.