Up until 2015, the Palestine Football Association (PFA) and its national team had been an afterthought both on and off the pitch.

Palestine was officially recognised by FIFA in 1998, but after some promising early success, the team went into a tailspin.

Jibril Rajoub took over the PFA in 2008, and despite increased funding, success proved hard to come by.

Those in charge seemed genuinely disinterested and outright hostile to the footballing apparatus.

Then, on 30 May 2014, Palestine qualified for its first-ever Asian Cup, and a media frenzy ensued.

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The discourse around many national teams is how rare it is to find a pure striker in the modern game. In response to market demands, academies have created footballers that are over trained and lack that intangible element of sniffing out goals.

In the case of Palestine, they have lucked into a generation of strikers born between 1998 and 2000 who know how to find the back of the net. They are the products of distinct environments.

In an interview with Football Palestine last year Oday Dabbagh recounted how indifferent he was when it came to watching football matches. He just wanted to play with his friends and have fun.

Wessam Abou Ali was a top rated prospect and Danish youth international before declaring for Palestine.

Assad Al-Hamlawi grew up in Helsingborg but was far removed from the elite of Swedish football. He made his professional debut in the fourth division before his hometown club snatched him up and gave him an Allsvenskan debut. In spite of his goal scoring promise he had to go to Poland to make an impact in the top flight.

Now all three are teammates with the national team who could ride their goals glory in 2027 and beyond.

Easter Weekend showed just how good all three strikers are. Wessam Abou Ali got the party started on Saturday night with a brace that delivered Columbus Crew their first win of the season. He was voted into the Team of the Week for his efforts.

Then Oday Dabbagh responded scoring a goal that brought Zamalek level with Al-Masry en route to a 4-1 win. The striker now has double digit goals on the season and is one off the golden boot pace in the Premier League.

On Pasquetta, Assad Al-Hamlawi joined the party finishing off a sweeping move to give Craiova a 2-0 lead in the 61st minute against CFR Cluj. The 25 year old now has 13 goals and 4 assists in 25 starts across all competitions.

All three players are their team’s respective top scorers and while it is too early to tell whether Abou Ali’s Columbus will challenge for silverware both Oday Dabbagh and Assad Al-Hamlawi could win league titles in Egypt and Romania, respectively.

Not only did the weekend feature goals for Palestinians in Europe, Africa, and the Americas but there was a goal on the Asian continent as well with Alaa Aldeen Hassan marking his recent transfer from Al-Arabi to Al-Gharafa by scoring in a 3-2 loss to Duhail.

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I’ve just released a 6-part podcast series called “Scoreless at the Break: How Football Explains Palestine’s Political Rivalry”—and I think it might be up your alley.

The hook: It’s the story of the Palestinian national team from 2005-2011, and it’s wild.

A few scenes:

• A coach who forgot his own name after a brain cancer diagnosis—then showed up two months later, mid-chemo, to lead Palestine from the touchline in a World Cup qualifier

• A national team that got stranded abroad after a civil war broke out back home

• A World Cup qualification campaign that lasted exactly 90 minutes—because the team couldn’t get exit permits for the second leg

• A 19-year-old footballer who was declared dead after an Israeli airstrike, placed in a morgue refrigerator, and woke up five hours later

Beyond the football, it’s a deep dive into what happened after Hamas won the 2006 election—the sanctions, the US-backed coup attempt, the civil war. Told through the lens of the national team to give insight into what Palestine was like after the end of the second Intifada.

The podcast is only available for premium subscribers but you can avail of a 40% discount

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You can listen to all six episodes below:

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The Palestine Football Association (PFA) announced they would be cancelling friendlies against Mauritania and Benin yesterday. The communique was put out mere hours after Football Palestine broke the story but left many asking if the decision was really necessary.

The statement reads:

“Palestine Apologizes for Missing Friendlies Against Mauritania and Benin in Morocco Jerusalem - Palestinian Football Association Media Office: The Palestinian Football Association announces the inability of the first national team to participate in the friendly gathering hosted by the Kingdom of Morocco, during which the Steadfast were scheduled to play two friendly matches against the national teams of Mauritania and Benin, in the international break for the current month of March.

The Association confirms that the current circumstances in the region and the challenges related to travel and airport closures have prevented the completion of arrangements for the team's delegation to participate in the required manner, emphasizing its commitment to the safety of the players and members of the technical and administrative staff.

The Association renews its commitment to continue working to support the national team and provide the best possible conditions for its preparation for the upcoming official qualifications, in a way that meets the aspirations of the Palestinian fans.”

While it is true that several players would have been left stranded in the Gulf and unable to make the journey it is by no means a critical mass.

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Kuwait based Zaid Qunbar and a sizable QSL contingent of Rami Hamadi, Tamer Seyam, Musab Al-Battat, Musa Farawi, Alaa Aldeen Hassan, and Mohammed Balah would have no way of making the trip. Only 3-4 players in that group are starters and a few might not have even been called up

Ataa Jaber, Mohammed Saleh, and Amid Mahajna are injured. While defenders Michel Termanini and Yaser Hamed could have traveled without a visa to Saudi Arabia and continued their onward journey from there.

The border crossings between Jordan and Palestine remain open meaning that the small contingent of players and the coaching staff could get to Amman’s International Airport.

Even Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport remains functional although players could be forgiven for not wanting to leave their families alone in an active war zone.

Palestine could have easily put together a 25 or 26 man squad by drawing on its sizable player pool in Egypt, Europe, and the Americas. The travel costs would have been higher but the PFA has money- courtesy of the prize kitty from World Cup qualification and the FIFA Arab Cup.

Here is what a potential squad could have looked like:

You could even call up more players such as Jordan based duo Mohammed Sandouqa and Anas Bani Owda. That would bring the total to 29 players!

Yes, this squad is short on experience in goal and in defence. Yes, none of the captains are included but you don’t need your best squad in every single friendly. Sometimes you need to test out new players and this would have been the perfect opportunity to find out what some of the fringe players can do.

The Palestine Football Association owes its stakeholders a better explanation as to why it cancelled these friendlies. It also must turn its attention to the summer and ensure that the May/June window does not go to waste as well.

Sources have confirmed to Football Palestine that the upcoming friendlies against Benin and Mauritania are under serious threat of cancellation. It is understood that the Palestine Football Association is currently looking to solve the crisis but solutions are proving hard to come by.

Palestine have come to depend on a core group of players that currently play in Qatar. While it is assumed that Ataa Jaber (Qatar SC), Mohammed Saleh and Amid Mahajna (both Al-Rayyan) will not make the trip due to injury there are half a dozen players that were expected to get called up.

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That list includes captain Musab Al-Battat (Qatar SC) and his deputies Tamer Seyam (Al-Shammal) and Rami Hamadi (Umm Salal). Also expected to be part of the squad are Michel Termanini (Al-Shammal), and Yaser Hamed (Al-Khor). There was also a possible return for Alaa Aldeen Hassan (Al-Gharafa), Mohammed Balah (Al-Shahniya), and Musa Farawi (Al-Arabi).

Air travel disruptions in the Gulf also could impact the call up of players who ply their trade further east such as East Bengal’s Mohammed Rashid and Malaysia based Odai Kharoub.

The most obvious solution for the Qatar based contingent would be to travel over land to Saudi Arabia and then fly from there to Morocco. The only issue is that Saudi Arabia requires Palestinian passport holders to apply for a visa- a process that could take over a month. Only Yaser Hamed and Michel Termanini, courtesy of their European citizenship, could to make that journey without applying for a visa.

Should the matches go ahead Palestine could be without several key players.

It was announced earlier this week that debut call ups are set to be handed to Francisco Politino (Lokomotiv Plovdiv) and Zacarias Abuhadba (Antofagasta).

Game Over Israel has made waves in recent months in the aftermath of a Times Square billboard that read: Israel is Committing a Genocide, Soccer Federations Boycott Israel.

That came to a head yesterday with a much awaited vote in the Canton of Vaud. The idea was to allow elected representatives to decide a key matter- should UEFA be considered a tax exempt, peace promoting body if it fails to take action against Israel?

That vote fell short after a raft of politicians opted to abstain. The final tally stood at 53-74.

For two weeks in September it seemed that Israel’s fate was sealed and that it would be facing an extended amount of time on the sidelines of the world’s most popular sport. UEFA’s President was close to calling a vote on the matter but on the last day of the month, a ceasefire agreement was drawn up by the Trump Administration which amounted to a stay of execution.

The work behind the scenes did continue and it was revealed by The Athletic that Game Over Israel had met with UEFA in December to discuss Israel’s suspension.

Which begs the question: What happened? And will Israel face the same repercussions Russia did in 2022?

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PFA Inaction

The movement to kick Israel out of Football has been around for the past two decades. What started as a grassroots campaign once the purview of tireless activists has now gone mainstream. Unfortunately, the reason for its mainstreaming is due to a genocide that has seen the displacement of millions and the death of at least 70,000 Palestinians the vast majority of whom have been women and children.

Almost immediately, there were calls for Israel to be suspended from FIFA but the Palestine Football Association waited until after the 2023 Asian Cup (held in January-February 2024) to make a statement. Even then, the statement was made in tandem with the other 11 Football Associations that make up the West Asian Football Federation (WAFF) and was spearheaded not by the PFA but by their Jordanian counterparts.

As the bombs showed no sign of abating the casualties mounted and several footballers were amongst the dead. The most prominent of whom was Hani Al-Masdar who was killed on the eve of the Asian Cup’s opening match. During Palestine’s run at the tournament Mouyin Al-Maghribi who represented Palestine at the 1999 Pan Arab Games. Weeks later, on March 11th, Mohammed Barakat recorded his final words as bombs rained in the background. The striker who had two caps to his name, had played professionally for Al-Wehdat in Jordan and Al-Shoulla in Saudi Arabia.

Instead of pushing the issue, the PFA was strangely silent and the deaths of Al-Maghribi and Barakat received far less attention than Suleiman Obeid who would be killed in August 2025.

In fact, instead of lobbying his counterparts to take action against Israel at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May 2024 Jibril Rajoub instead flew to Dublin to attend a match between Bohemian FC and the Women’s National Team. He did eventually arrive in Bangkok just in time to hear that a decision on Israel’s suspension would be delayed. This would be the first of a half a dozen missed deadlines that FIFA would miss as it consulted “legal experts”.

The PFA’s response to FIFA’s delays has been to issue press releases in English and Arabic. There was a weird fixation during 2024 to host matches in Palestine which FIFA entertained. This request was in spite of the fact that the situation in the West Bank is so bad that league football has yet to return.

The organization failed to take the lead to protect Aida Youth Camp’s pitch in Bethlehem from being demolished by the IDF. The cause was eventually adopted by Swiss politicians and UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin and the decision was overturned.

PFA Self Sabotage

Eleven years ago Jibril Rajoub and the Palestine Football Association were thrust into the limelight of world football. The reason for that attention had nothing to do with team’s first ever appearance at the AFC Asian Cup but rather a campaign to get Israel kicked out of FIFA.

In the Summer of 2014 Israel launched a brutal 36 day assault on the Gaza Strip it named Operation Protective Edge. The brutality of the war far outstripped anything that came before it. Over 1,400 civilians were killed, nearly 600 of whom were children.

Two years before during another bombing campaign, the Israelis bombed the Paralympic Headquarters and Palestine Stadium.

The worsening conditions in Gaza and the increased brutality gave grassroots campaigns momentum and suddenly calls to suspend Israel from FIFA were no longer confined to the fringes of the internet.

Rajoub and the PFA decided to co-opt the movement, and as members of FIFA they were able to table the motion to kick Israel out of Football at the FIFA Congress in 2015.

Unlike the United Nations, FIFA’s congress was a more democratic body with any Member Association capable of bringing a motion forward to a vote. Since the arrival of Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s decision making has been concentrated in the hands of the executive branch.

Those procedural changes make a breakthrough with FIFA all that much harder. Moreover, there is very little evidence to believe that Jibril Rajoub is serious about kicking Israel out of FIFA.

In May 2015, the PFA President had the votes and crumbled under the pressure placed on him. At the 11th hour, following a bizarre speech, he withdrew the motion and then shook hands with his Israeli counterpart Avi Luzon.

What happened behind the scenes is the subject of much speculation but it is widely believed that Mahmoud Abbas and the political apparatus of the Palestinian Authority forced Rajoub to withdraw the motion at the request of United States.

Some of the gifts from that era that are on display in Jibril Rajoub’s office are a sword from Saudi Prince Talal bin Badr who was head of the UAFA. Curiously there is also a framed US National Team kit (the Popsicle shirt and shorts from the 2014 World Cup) with Rajoub and the number 10 emblazoned on the back.

FIFA Kicks the Can

In the aftermath of May 2015, FIFA made a promise to Jibril Rajoub and the PFA: The issue of Israeli settlement clubs would be investigated.

The man they put on the case was Tokyo Sexwale a South African politician and businessman who rose to prominence following the end of Apartheid. Given his background many assumed that Sexwale would help advocate for the removal of settlement clubs from the Israeli football pyramid. After all, FIFA had prevented teams in Crimea from joining the Russian football pyramid just months earlier. FIFA statutes state that one Member Association (MA) cannot play on another MA’s territory without expressed consent.

Six Israeli clubs are still based in settlements and host matches on land unlawfully seized from Palestinians. At least One of the clubs club plays on land privately owned by a Palestinian family which the family can no longer access. The family was not compensated and did not give FIFA or the Israel Football Association permission to play on its land.

What seemed like an open and shut case- especially given the Crimean precedence- dragged on for years. Two years into Sexwale’s investigation there was still no official report. Sexwale also pulled double duty for the first eight months of his mandate, choosing to run for the FIFA Presidency before ultimately withdrawing his candidacy in late February 2016.

When a report was finally produced in mid-2017, FIFA put out a statement washing their hands of the matter. The key paragraph from the October 2017 press release reads as follows:

“Given that the final status of the West Bank territories is the concern of the competent international public law authorities, the FIFA Council agrees that FIFA, in line with the general principle established in its Statutes, must remain neutral with regard to political matters.”

In July 2018, the appeal filed with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) by the PFA was dismissed.

A month later, FIFA suspended PFA President Jibril Rajoub for 12 months after he called on fans to burn Messi’s jersey if Argentina went ahead with a pre-World Cup friendly against Israel in Jerusalem. The match was eventually called off.

The suspension changed the posture of the PFA who have since resolved only to put out press releases documenting Israeli crimes against football. Even before the genocide, an unprovoked attack by the IDF on the Faisal Al-Husseini Stadium in March 2023 yielded no statement from FIFA. This in spite of the fact that tear gas canisters were launched into the stadium while a the League Cup final was being contested risking the lives of players and fans in attendance

Sea Change

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again whilst expecting different results.

FIFA’s tried and tested method when it does not want to make a tough decision is to delay. Gianni Infantino did not and does not want to suspend Israel from FIFA. So he asked for more time to investigate, consult with relevant parties, and refer the matter to subcommittees. This in spite of the horrific images of a football stadium, built using FIFA’s funds, being used as a concentration camp by the Israeli military and hundreds of dead Palestinian footballers, coaches, and administrators.

With the PFA refusing to color outside the lines FIFA's tactic to delay worked when a ceasefire agreement came into place on September 30th, 2025.

Or so they thought.

Game Over Israel had other ideas and noting that public opinion in Europe was firmly against Israel they targeted the sub confederation the Apartheid State plays in- UEFA.

There was also an important change in the status quo. The International Court of Justice ruled on the illegality of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. The ruling meant the ambiguity FIFA- and UEFA- hid behind in 2017 no longer existed.

That brought the issue of the settlement clubs back into focus and would be one of the many prongs Game Over Israel would use in its campaign.

The campaign then added another element to its strategy- going after UEFA’s tax exempt status in Switzerland.

While Aleksander Ceferin has not keen to take an activist position on the matter there have been several signs pointing to the tenuous position of Israel in European Football. That was evidenced by the Stop Killing Children banner unfurled before the UEFA Super Cup and UEFA’s cryptic condolences in the aftermath of Suleiman Obeid’s murder.

It was widely speculated that Ceferin’s positions were shifting in part due to those around him. The government of Ceferin’s native Slovenia have been one of the most outspoken countries against the genocide and were the first EU nation to pass a full arms embargo. Ceferin’s brother, Rok, is also President of Slovenia’s constitutional court. Further worsening opinion of Israel in Slovenia is the fact that Israel’s Black Cube was caught trying to influence the nation’s upcoming elections.

There are also practical matters to consider should Israel remain. A riot sparked by Maccabi Tel Aviv fans in Amsterdam in November 2024 presented FAs with a stark choice: Either spend an exorbitant amount on protecting hooligans or forego home field advantage to play in Israeli friendly confines in Serbia and Hungary.

There was also a growing frustration amongst Football Associations in regards to the exorbitant costs of hosting Israeli teams and fans. Upon drawing Israel in their nations league group a whopping 67% of Irish fans were in favor of forfeiting the match. Many players and coaches also supported not playing the fixture including former national team manager Brian Kerr and Stephen Kenny.

Before the announcement of the ceasefire on September 30th, 2025 it looked like Israel had backed itself into a corner. There were more than enough votes on UEFA’s Executive Committee to vote on a motion to suspend Israel from UEFA if Ceferin called for a vote. The ceasefire offered Israel a stay of execution.

Yesterday’s vote in Vaud is not the end of the road. Even if the motion had passed it would have only triggered a review of UEFA’s tax exempt status and not a removal. In spite of the setback, The Game Over Israel campaign is not dropping the issue.

In a statement released yesterday Game Over Israel said: “We will continue to pursue UEFA in the Swiss federal courts and will imminently file a motion to compel the Swiss government to enforce international law on UEFA and suspend Israel.”

The campaign then added another element to its strategy- going after UEFA’s tax exempt status in Switzerland.

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Rami Hamadi’s club saga has come to an end. The 31 year old goalkeeper now has a new home having put pen to paper on a contract with Umm Salal. The deal was formalized after the club worked the channels in order to obtain an exemption.

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The deal will only last for the remainder of the season although both parties are working towards a deal for next year.

Exemptions for Palestinian players have been in effect since early 2024 and they have allowed QSL clubs to sign Palestinian players without them counting as foreigners. Clubs are free to sign Palestinian players to a foreign player contract and use up one of the ten foreign player slots on their roster. QSL clubs cannot field more than five foreign players at a time.

In the case of Hamadi, his situation was especially precarious as no foreign goalkeeper is allowed to play in the Qatari league. Exceptions are made on an ad hoc basis but those are for players that are part of the national team’s naturalization scheme.

Al-Markhiya who singed Hamadi last year lost his services as the club could not secure an exemption for him. The second tier club was allocated a foreign goalkeeper as where the other seven clubs in the division with an eye to naturalizing them after five years.

In spite of not playing a single minute this season Rami Hamadi maintained his stellar form with the national team and racked up the minutes as well as the clean sheets. His form during the FIFA Arab Cup was especially impressive and the goalkeeper was rated by SofaScore as the best shotstopper of the tournament after registering cleansheets against Libya, Qatar, and Syria.

Hamadi has represented the national team on 64 official occasions and registered 31 clean sheets. He has been especially good in official competition recording 41 starts, 22 clean sheets, and a .80 GA average.

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The long wait to see Palestine back in action is drawing to a close and we now know who Al-Fida’i will face in next month’s international break.

Palestine is set to participate in the sixth edition of Morocco’s Capital of African Football series and will be the only non-African team in a field that includes Niger, Libya, Togo, Liberia, Guinea, Mauritania, and Benin.

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Palestine will play Benin for the first time in their history on March 27th, 2026- 106 days since taking to the pitch at the FIFA Arab Cup quarterfinals against Saudi Arabia.

Four days later, on March 31st, they will take on Mauritania- a side they have faced only once before. More importantly for Palestine the opposition will help them get acquainted with different styles and opponents ahead of the 2027 AFC Asian Cup and a new cycle.

This is especially welcome as as Palestine have faced nine of the eleven West Asian nations since January 2024. The only nations they did not face in that time span were Yemen and Bahrain.

Mauritania are in something of a transitional phase having one once in their last ten games and generating a meager four goals. Al-Marabitun missed the last AFCON after qualifying for the last three editions.

Benin conversely are a team on the rise and put together a good run at World Cup qualification. If any criticism can be levied against Gernot Rohr’s side it is that they are goal shy and only managed a single win at last month’s AFCON.

The venues and kickoff times of both matches have yet to be announced.

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Some moves just do not work out. Omar Faraj was supposed to be Zamalek’s answer to Wessam Abou Ali. Faraj showed flashes in limited playing time but was then dropped and exiled from the squad after four appearances totaling 170 minutes in which he scored once.

Faraj did find a new lease on life with one of his former clubs going on loan for the first half of 2025 to Degerfors. The former Sweden international made history on Match Day 1 scoring five goals in a single game. The club’s struggles soon set in and Faraj only managed a goal and an assist in the subsequent 12 league games.

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The team that was on the receiving end of those five goals? Halmstads BK who announced Faraj’s signing with this swanky video:

The striker has signed on a free transfer and his contract is set to run for two and a half years.

Halmstads provides the striker the opportunity to excel in familiar surroundings. The 23 year old has 68 Allsvenskan appearances to his name and has already played hundreds of games across all Swedish competitions.

The west coast club has lifted the Allsvenksan title four times but have fallen on hard times since their heyday at the turn of the century. The team registered a meager 24 goals scored in the league last season- by far the worst of all 16 teams in the competition. They will be hoping Faraj can help remedy that problem.