Human rights expert: FIFA must demand that Israel football clubs comply with the provisions of international law concerning the Occupied Palestinian Territory

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Over the years, at least eight Israel football clubs have operated in colonial settlements in the occupied West Bank of Jordan. The ninth club, based in Israel, also holds some home games in the settlement. These clubs are members of the Israel Football Association. Many clubs have shown racism towards Palestinians and players for years.

The seven human rights experts, appointed by the Human Rights Council, noted that the Israel Football Association's approach amounted to a recognition of the legitimacy of the situation created by Israel's illegal presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in grave violation of international law.

This was reaffirmed by the International Court of Justice in its advisory opinion of 19 July 2024, stressing that the relocation of Israel settlers to the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the maintenance of Israel's presence, violates the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and Israel's obligations under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Legally, this constitutes an act of aggression in violation of the right to bellus, a grave breach of the Geneva Conventions and a number of crimes under the Rome Statute.

Relevant provisions of international conventions

In its advisory opinion, the International Court of Justice made it clear that the Israel occupation of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the associated settlements and annexations, were illegal. The Court noted that Israel's policy violated article 3 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which prohibits apartheid. The Court ordered Israel to end the occupation, dismantle the colony and the separation wall and the associated regime as a whole, provide full reparations to the Palestinian people and facilitate the return of the Palestinian people displaced since 1967.

According to reports, the FIFA Council will consider the matter at its October meeting this year. The human rights experts called on the Council to ensure that its decisions are consistent with the non-derogable norms of international law.

"We remind FIFA that international human rights law, including the right to self-determination and the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, applies to private international organizations, especially those with global jurisdiction and mandates like FIFA," they said. FIFA must also fulfil its responsibility to respect human rights in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. ”

They urged FIFA to ensure a zero-tolerance policy for discrimination and racism involving Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

The seven experts who made the statement included the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance and the five human rights experts from the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises.

Special rapporteurs, independent experts and working groups are part of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN human rights system, is the general name for the independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, which deal with country-specific situations as well as thematic issues around the world. Special procedures experts work on a voluntary basis. They are not United Nations staff members and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and work for the United Nations in their individual capacity.