The Israeli Football Association (IFA) includes football clubs based in illegal Israeli settlements, training and playing matches on stolen Palestinian land. Israeli settlements are illegal land grabs that form an integral part of Israel's occupation infrastructure pushing indigenous Palestinian families off of their land, robbing Palestinians of natural resources and denying them their right of movement. Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories are considered illegal under international law. In this sense, the IFA is clearly in breach of FIFA rules which prohibit a member association holding competitions on the territory of another without permission.
A comprehensive report by Human Rights Watch said that by allowing the IFA to hold matches on stolen Palestinian land, FIFA is enabling business activity that supports the illegal settlements more broadly and, in doing so, is in violation of its own human rights commitments.
There have been growing calls for FIFA to take action and suspend IFA's membership until Israel complies with international law, but this demand has consistently been ignored.
Despite being repeatedly condemned by UN advisers, dozens of elected officials, public figures and civil society and human rights groups IFA has refused to take measures to end its complicity.
IFA's main sponsor, German sportswear manufacturer Puma, needs to take action. Just last summer, Adidas announced it was ending its sponsorship of IFA following a sustained campaign by activists and athletes across the world. Over 200 Palestinian sports clubs have already called on Puma to end its support for Israel by terminating its sponsorship deal with the IFA.
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