“The (FIFA) council decided after 15 years of deliberations on this issue not to decide”
— Susan Shalabi, PFA Vice-PresidentElham Asaad Buaras
The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) has launched a formal appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), escalating a bitter dispute over FIFA’s refusal to sanction Israel over football clubs operating in Israeli settlements inside the occupied West Bank.
The move, confirmed on April 28, comes after FIFA refused to act on a 2024 complaint, insisting the issue falls within what it calls the “unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law” and describing it as an “unresolved and highly complex matter”.
That justification has since been directly challenged by a landmark advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 19, 2024. The Court found that Israel’s continued presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful. It ruled that settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem are “established and being maintained in violation of international law”.
It went further. The ICJ said the occupation must end as rapidly as possible. It also said states must not recognise or support the situation created by it, a finding that sharply narrows the scope for arguments that the legal position remains unclear.
Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank are widely regarded as illegal under international law. FIFA’s own rule book also appears to add pressure. Article 83 of its regulations states that, “Members and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member without the latter’s approval.”
Critics argue that provision is directly engaged by Israeli clubs competing in illegal settlement areas.
These clubs include a small but long-documented group based in settlements across the West Bank. Among them are Beitar Givat Ze’ev, located in the Giv’at Ze’ev settlement north-west of Jerusalem; Beitar Ma’ale Adumim, based in the Ma’ale Adumim settlement east of Jerusalem; Hapoel Oranit, from Oranit near Qalqilya close to the Green Line; Hapoel Jordan Valley, representing the Tomer settlement in the northern Jordan Valley; and Maccabi/Ironi Ariel, based in the Ariel settlement deep in the northern West Bank. Despite operating from territory internationally regarded as occupied, these clubs continue to compete within the lower tiers of the Israeli football pyramid, primarily in Liga Gimel — the regionalised fifth tier — and related district divisions.
“Member associations and their clubs may not play on the territory of another member association without the latter’s approval.”
At the heart of the PFA’s appeal is what it describes as years of institutional inaction by world football’s governing body. “The (FIFA) council decided after 15 years of deliberations on this issue not to decide,” said PFA Vice-President Susan Shalabi. “So the only course of action that we have is to go to CAS and to appeal that. We will go through the whole process until we are able to achieve justice.”
She added: “Since we have exhausted every legal venue possible at FIFA, we’ll still go by the rules, go by the book, and we’ll appeal that decision because we think it’s very unjust.”
The appeal was formally filed on April 20, according to Reuters. CAS has not yet commented, while FIFA declined to respond. The Israel Football Association has been contacted.
In a separate decision, FIFA said it would take no action against Israeli clubs accused of competing while based in settlement areas. However, it did sanction the Israel Football Association (IFA) for breaches of anti-discrimination and fair-play rules following an investigation into racism in Israeli football.
FIFA said the IFA had failed to take sufficient action over persistent racist behaviour by supporters of certain clubs, including Beitar Jerusalem, and had not adequately addressed inflammatory and politicised statements made by officials and clubs.
The IFA was fined 150,000 Swiss francs (£133,000) and ordered to introduce a mandatory anti-discrimination plan, including education campaigns and banners at its next three FIFA competition home matches.
The row has unfolded alongside controversy at the FIFA Congress in Vancouver, where Palestinian officials also faced visa difficulties.
The President of the PFA, along with two other officials, were initially denied entry to Canada. Shalabi said most visas were later approved after what she described as “political and media pressure”, but the organisation’s legal counsel was still refused entry. She said the President and General Secretary would now attend, although likely arriving late, while the legal counsel would not be present.
Canadian authorities said visa applications are assessed “on a case-by-case basis”.
PFA President Jibril Rajoub was reportedly due to address FIFA directly on Israel’s use of football facilities in occupied territory. The controversy has now reached the highest levels of global football governance. In February, campaign groups including Irish Sport for Palestine and Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor submitted a 120-page complaint to the International Criminal Court alleging FIFA and UEFA leadership had “aided war crimes”.
The complaint named FIFA President Gianni Infantino and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, claiming: “FIFA and UEFA permit [Israeli] clubs to play in leagues organised by the Israel Football Association and host matches on the seized land.”
Shalabi also painted a grim picture of football in Gaza, describing the situation as “dire”.
“We lost so many hundreds of footballers; we lost most of them children,” she said. “So football now in Gaza, there is no football at all.”
“It’s very dangerous for our teams to compete,” she added, saying organised leagues had been suspended and efforts were now focused only on grassroots survival.
