Israeli Collective Punishment of Palestinians Extends to Soccer
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Israel prevented nine soccer players from crossing from the West Bank into Gaza to join their team for the opening match of the Palestine Cup.
Israel controls everything in Palestine even when it comes to sports events far away from politics and security.
The Israeli authorities prevented at least nine Palestinian soccer players from crossing from the West Bank to Gaza Tuesday to participate in the first match of the Palestine Cup at Gaza’s Al-Yarmouk Stadium between Hebron’s Ahly al-Khalil and Shabab Khan Younis.
The match took place Tuesday and saw Ahly al-Khalil win 1-0 despite missing more than half of its lead players.
Such moves show how the Israeli occupation exerts its power and control over Palestinians in every aspect of their daily lives, going beyond the simple and flawed Israeli argument of “self-defense” and extending to the level of collective punishment, TeleSUR reported.
The news comes as Israeli bulldozers destroyed 11 Palestinian homes in Qalandiya, near al-Quds (Jerusalem), which brings the number of demolitions this year to 86.
