Lost in the FIFA election, the corruption scandal surrounding the soccer federation and then the sensational resignation of its president, was the Palestinian motion to have Israel expelled from football's world body. The vote never materialized after Palestinian football chief Jibril Rajoub took an 11th-hour decision to withdraw the bid, a move which caused a mini-storm of its own. The Palestine Football Association (PFA) had threatened to table a resolution calling on FIFA to suspend Israel over its restrictions on the movement of Palestinian players. It had also opposed the participation in the Israeli championships of five clubs located in illegal West Bank settlements. The motion accused Israel of discriminatory policies against Palestinian players and teams, rampant racism in its stadiums and a violation of FIFA rules which prohibit teams belonging to one national association from playing in another country without the latter's approval. At the last minute, however, the Palestinians agreed to a compromise that averted a vote. From now on, Israeli actions toward Palestinian soccer players, especially restrictions on their freedom of movement, will face international monitoring and in addition, Israeli teams based in West Bank settlements will be under scrutiny. The compromise didn't sit well with Palestinians and their supporters who felt betrayed by the Palestinian federation and the fact that Israel was being allowed to continue – and to play football - as a regular member of FIFA. The truth is that the Palestinians were never going to win the bid. To succeed, such a motion required 75 percent of the 209 votes, or 157 votes, a figure the PFA was never going to get close to. Most of the football associations would have voted against the motion. Rajoub admitted that the PFA had come under much pressure from fellow associations as well as from UEFA chief Michel Platini to back off from the move. Other countries were worried that if it was approved, other members might be expelled in the future for political reasons. The guess is that the Palestinians themselves never really thought they could get Israel expelled from FIFA. The PFA intention all along is part of a broader campaign by the Palestine Authority to pressure and isolate Israel following the failure of peace talks and last year's Gaza war by joining multiple UN organizations, particularly the International Criminal Court. The FIFA bid is part of massive anti-Israel action, which in turn is part of a wider Palestinian strategy to target Israel in international institutions such as the UN and the ICC. Not to mention the broader BDS movement calling for boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israel. It seems like the only way to end the occupation, especially after the recent election of a nationalistic Israeli government largely opposed to Palestinian statehood, will be through international pressure. Nothing is happening in the peace process. Nothing is happening as a result of Israel's own free will. It all comes down to pressure from the outside. The Palestinians should not view the dropping of the FIFA motion as a defeat. The agreement reached counters the claims by Israeli football officials that they have no say in Israeli security policy. Palestinians should also be emboldened by the gains, for they can now consider similar actions at the Olympics and in other international arenas. And in Israel, the bid, even though aborted, raised fears that more such diplomatic assaults are on the way. The uproar some Palestinians created after Palestine bowed out of the FIFA bid shows that Palestinians are not always able to agree on a unified position over how the nonviolent struggle should continue. A national strategy and action plan supported by all major groups and factions is an absolute necessity.
