On the Eve of the 2026 World Cup: A Palestinian Sports Initiative from Lebanon Calls for Israel’s Expulsion from FIFA
Beirut – June 7, 2026
The Palestinian Sports Network (Sharaf) has published a petition on its website calling for the “expulsion of Israel from the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the International Olympic Committee, and all international sports institutions and federations,” in response to the crimes committed by the occupation state against Palestinian athletes and sports facilities in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank.
The Network explained that the petition was launched at the initiative of Palestinian sports clubs and teams in the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. It is addressed to athletes, coaches, administrators, supporters, and all those who believe in the values of justice and freedom, with the aim of mobilizing the broadest possible support for the demand to isolate Israel from international sport.
The petition, which has been published in several languages, states that the Israeli occupation forces have directly and systematically targeted the Palestinian sports movement. It notes that the occupation forces have “killed more than one thousand Palestinian athletes, including football players, coaches, referees, and sports champions, in addition to injuring thousands more and imprisoning hundreds in Israeli prisons.”
The petition also points out that the occupation forces have destroyed stadiums, sports facilities, and athletic halls; bombed clubs and youth centers; devastated sports infrastructure; prevented Palestinian teams and national squads from traveling and participating in international competitions; and imposed restrictions and collective punishments on Palestinian athletes.
The signatories maintain that the continued participation of the occupation state in international sports institutions, despite what they describe as genocide, war crimes, and grave violations of international law, contradicts the principles upon which global sport is founded, foremost among them justice, equality, and opposition to racism.
The petition calls for the expulsion of “Israel” from FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, the revocation of the membership of all Israeli federations and teams in international competitions, and the imposition of comprehensive sporting sanctions, alongside guarantees for the protection of Palestinian athletes and their full right to freedom of movement and participation in international sports.
The organizations behind the petition affirmed that “sport must stand with freedom and justice, not with occupation and killing,” calling on sports clubs around the world to join the campaign and sign the petition in order to isolate “Israel” from international sport and hold it accountable for its violations against the Palestinian people and Palestinian sport, as global preparations continue for the launch of the 2026 World Cup.
