Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
19 July 2024 | 13:00 CAT
3 min read

Recent Israeli shelling in the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps has resulted in multiple casualties, with at least 13 people reported dead. The Israeli army has bombed its ninth school shelter in Gaza City, killing at least two Palestinians among other displaced individuals this week.

Varsen Aghabekian, the Palestinian Authority’s minister of state for foreign affairs, expressed hope that today’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling on Israel’s occupation will deliver justice for Palestinians. She said that a ruling declaring the occupation illegal would bring hope to Palestinians and provide the Palestinian authorities with more leverage to seek recognition of statehood and call for sanctions against Israel. Aghabekian emphasized the need for countries that claim to respect international law to comply with it.

Calls for Fifa to ban Israel from football over human rights violations

An independent legal analysis (by lawyers who specialise in international law and human rights) has urged FIFA to ban Israel from football activities, citing violations of FIFA’s statutes amid Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza. The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) proposed the suspension in May, backed by the Asian Football Confederation.

The analysis accuses Israel of undermining FIFA’s objectives and violating international human rights.

The PFA claims the Israel Football Association is complicit in these violations and discriminates against Arab players, which Israel rejects. FIFA is expected to review the matter at an extraordinary council meeting in July.

“There was no debate about Russia being suspended, the same should have happened with Israel, because of the Gaza war and their breaking of rules including allowing football teams from settlements on the West Bank, to compete in the Israeli league, despite the West Bank not being part of Israel under international law,” said Dr James M. Dorsey.

He believes that Giovanni Infantino, FIFA president, is looking for a way to avoid taking action. Whether he will succeed remains to be seen. Football impacts a vast segment of the population, and analysts suggest that suspending Israel would be a powerful way to show the Israeli public the cost of this war.

The US is key in defence agreement talks

According to Dorsey, China’s role in the Saudi-Iranian agreement was limited to merely hosting the meeting, with the deal itself already decided. Politically, China has little influence in the Middle East. Its standing in Israel has weakened due to its position on the Gaza war, rising anti-Semitism on Chinese social media, and increasing pressure from the United States. Saudi Arabia and the UAE want defence agreements with Washington, not China.

“The key to solutions lie in Washington, they are the only ones who have the potential to do so,” he said.

Dorsey noted Saudi Arabia and the UAE seek a comprehensive three-way agreement: a defence pact with the US, support for a peaceful nuclear program, and, in return, they are prepared to recognise Israel and establish diplomatic relations.

He explained, however, that this process has been complicated by the Gaza war. Due to domestic and regional factors, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have stated that no progress will be made until the war on Gaza ends and a credible path toward resolving the Palestine-Israel conflict, which includes establishing a sovereign Palestinian state, is in place.

According to news reports, Israel has also targeted Hezbollah and Hamas-allied commanders, killing a second Hezbollah commander in 24 hours and a senior Hamas-aligned figure in Lebanon.

Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza has resulted in at least 38,848 deaths and 89,459 injuries in Gaza.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Junaid Kharsany and Dr James M. Dorsey, here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. James M. Dorsey is an award-winning journalist, scholar, and Senior Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute. He is the author of ‘The Turbulent World of Middle East Soccer’.