The FIFA committee charged with examining the Israeli-Palestinian issue has recommended that the international body give Israel a period of six months to discontinue matches in illegal West Bank settlements before making a decision about a possible Israeli suspension from the soccer organization Haaretz reported on Sunday.
A draft of the report seen by Haaretz reportedly recommends that if Israeli teams continue to play in the occupied West Bank FIFA should take a decision about whether the teams or the country should be suspended.
On Thursday Haaretz reported that the Israeli government is increasingly worried that soccer teams based in settlements in the occupied West Bank will face suspension from the international federation governing the sport.
With the FIFA Congress due to meet in May Israel sent a cable to dozens of ambassadors on Tuesday instructing them to liaise with officials from their host countries as part of an effort to stave off any potential move.
An official told Haaretz that the efforts began after Israel learned that the Palestinian Football Association had sent a request that the question of the eligibility of teams based in settlements be placed on the agenda for both the FIFA Council and the FIFA Congress.
In October 2016 the Palestine Football Association called on FIFA to either expel the six clubs in settlements or relocate them to within Israel’s Green Line. However the world’s football governing body postponed making a decision on the issue.
