MK Sukkot urges Israel soccer federation to cancel proposed match with Palestine

MK Zvi Sukkot, chair of the Knesset Committee on Education, Culture and Sport, sent a sharp letter on Monday to Israel Football Association chairman Moshe Shino Zuares after reports that FIFA was promoting a friendly between Israel and the Palestinian national team.

Sukkot argued that the proposed match is not merely a sporting event but a political move that could amount to recognition of a Palestinian state. He wrote, “The State of Israel does not recognize the existence of a Palestinian state, and accordingly there is no place to grant sporting or public legitimacy to a body claiming to represent a political entity that does not exist.”

He said sports do not stand apart from Israel’s national and political reality, and that approving such a game would directly harm Israel’s official sovereign position. If the reports are accurate, he said, the match would be “clear political recognition disguised as a sporting event,” contrary to the public interest and the values taught to young people.

Sukkot demanded that the federation announce the immediate cancellation of the planned game and act responsibly as Israel’s official national sports body. He added that at a time when Israel is confronting enemies seeking to challenge its existence, the federation must not give recognition or legitimacy, even through football, to narratives working against Israel’s right to the land.