Cancellation of Argentina's Football Match with Israel; Palestinians Welcome the Decision

Palestinian football officials on Wednesday, June 6, expressed gratitude to the Argentina national football team and its star Lionel Messi for canceling a friendly match with the Israeli national team. The last preparatory match for Argentina before the World Cup was supposed to take place against the Israeli national team in Haifa, but the match was moved to Jerusalem at the request of the Israeli government. This action sparked protests from Palestinians. Gonzalo Higuain, a forward for the Argentina national team, announced the cancellation of the match on Tuesday. Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Federation, said at a press conference in Ramallah on Wednesday, "The Israelis tried to use Messi and the stars of the Argentina team. I want to thank them and appreciate their decision, which I believe was the right action." A banner was displayed at the entrance of the press conference that read: "Thank you, Messi, on behalf of Palestine." Flags of Argentina and Palestine were also placed next to a photo of Mr. Rajoub with the Barcelona star. Jibril Rajoub's demeanor at the press conference on Wednesday was completely different. On Sunday, he had called on Palestinians to burn Messi's shirts and photos if the match was held in Jerusalem. In response, the Israeli Football Federation accused Palestinians of crossing a "red line" by inciting anger against Argentine players to cancel the match. The federation stated that it would file a complaint with FIFA regarding Jibril Rajoub's remarks, which it described as "physical and ruthless threats." Palestinians opposed holding this match in Jerusalem and accused Israel of wanting to solidify its claim to ownership of the city through the match, especially with the presence of a global star like Lionel Messi. The Israeli government considers the entire city of Jerusalem its capital, while Palestinians regard the eastern part of the city as the capital of their independent state. Most countries in the world state that the fate of the city of Jerusalem should be determined in future peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis. However, Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel last year, changing U.S. policy on this issue. Palestinian football officials stated that they had no objection to holding the match in Haifa but insisted it should not have been moved to Jerusalem. Ziv Elkin, a senior member of the Israeli cabinet, said in an interview with the army radio that holding the match in Jerusalem was a matter of national pride. The President of Israel also stated in a statement, "The political nature of Argentina's action is concerning."