Palestinian soccer boss refuses to shake hands with Israeli counterpart at FIFA Congress

FIFA President Gianni Infantino shakes hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman (left), vice president of the Israeli Football Association, arsenic Jibril Rajoub (right), president of the Palestine Football Association, leaves the signifier astatine the 76th FIFA Congress successful Vancouver, Canada connected April 30, 2026. (Reuters/Jennifer Gauthier)

Palestinian Football Association president Jibril Rajoub was seen refusing to shingle hands oregon adjacent basal beside Israel Football Association vice president Basim Sheikh Suliman during a tense speech astatine the FIFA Congress connected Thursday.

Both officials were invited to the signifier by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, but the Palestinian typical resisted efforts to bring him person to his Israeli counterpart.

Infantino concisely placed a manus connected Rajoub’s limb and gestured for him to measurement forward, but Rajoub did not comply.

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FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaks during the 2026 Semafor World Economy league successful Washington, D.C., connected April 15, 2026. (Kent Nishimura/AFP)

The Palestinian FA, led by Rajoub, has agelong pushed for Israel to beryllium suspended from planetary shot competitions.

Rajoub defended his decision, saying helium remains committed to ceremonial processes but believes stronger enactment is needed.

"I inactive respect and travel the ineligible process but I deliberation it’s clip to recognize that Israel should beryllium sanctioned. The double-standard argumentation should stop," Rajoub said, per The Times of Israel.

"I refused to shingle hands. Sport is sport… for me, that should beryllium respected, but if the different broadside is representing a transgression similar Bibi [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu] and speaking connected behalf of Bibi arsenic if Bibi is Mother Teresa, however tin I shingle hands oregon person a photograph with specified a man?"

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A instrumentality displays a Palestine emblem during the Nations League radical signifier lucifer betwixt France and Israel connected Nov. 14, 2024. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

"I deliberation Gianni has the close to effort to span gaps and bring radical unneurotic but I deliberation possibly helium does not recognize oregon does not cognize the heavy suffering of the Palestinian people."

He added that portion Infantino’s intentions whitethorn person been to foster unity, helium whitethorn not afloat grasp the extent of Palestinian suffering.

After the exchange, Infantino addressed the room, urging cooperation.

"We volition enactment together, President Rajoub, Vice President Suliman. Let’s enactment unneurotic to springiness anticipation to the children. These are analyzable matters," Infantino said.

Speaking conscionable earlier the incident, Suliman emphasized the unifying relation of the sport.

"In football, determination is nary spot for politics," Suliman said. "Everyone has the close to play and compete. We are teaching children values similar respect, equality and emotion for others, and we anticipation that by the adjacent clip we meet, the concern volition beryllium better. We widen a manus to the Palestinian FA successful the tone of those shared values."

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Players from Paris Saint-Germain and Tottenham Hotspur enactment up earlier the UEFA Super Cup shot lucifer successful Udine, Italy, connected Aug. 13, 2025. (Denes Erdos/AP)

UEFA was reportedly moving toward a ballot to suspend Israel implicit the warfare successful Gaza successful September, but the question was enactment connected pause. FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced nary enactment would beryllium taken against the squad connected Oct. 3, aft a historical bid connection by President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

However, adjacent aft the bid proposal, Israeli sports teams person faced absorption and exclusion.

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