Video:: Al-Rajoub Refuses to Shake Hands with Israeli Football Federation Representative in Honor of the Martyrs

SadaNews - The President of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, refused to shake hands with the Deputy President of the Israeli Football Association, Bassem Sheikh Suleiman, and to appear with him in a photo during a tense moment on the sidelines of the FIFA conference on Thursday evening in Vancouver, Canada.

After both officials delivered speeches to the delegates from the podium, FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited them to stand beside him for a photo, but Rajoub repeatedly refused the invitation despite Infantino's insistence.

The Palestinian Football Association recently filed an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS / CAS), which is an independent court, after FIFA refused to impose sanctions on Israel due to its clubs located in illegal settlements in the West Bank.
In October 2024, several United Nations experts commissioned by the Human Rights Council of the UN, but not speaking on its behalf, urged FIFA to 'respect international law' on this specific issue.

According to these experts, 'at least eight football clubs have arisen in the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank or have been identified as playing in those settlements.'

In response to journalists' questions, Rajoub called on FIFA, the governing body of world football, to 'apply its regulations fairly and logically.'

Rajoub stated, 'What is happening in Palestine is horrifying, from the destruction of all sports facilities in Gaza to the killing of hundreds of Palestinian athletes and personnel... It is time to achieve justice.'

He added, 'The person who spoke on behalf of Israel did not even pay attention to all this suffering, to what is happening there.'

'I refused to shake hands with him,' Rajoub continued, 'How could I have a photo taken with such a person?'