The world witnessed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza some of the worst excesses and some of the most extreme cruel actions a nation can inflict on another group of people. The devastating toll on human life resulting the deaths of tens of thousands of men, women and children as a consequence of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza far exceeded any of the norms of a civilised society. The vastly disproportionate number of civilians and children killed in the Israeli offensive clearly shows that Israel has had nothing but total and absolute disregard for balancing military necessity with its obligations to protect non combatants. Israel did not just target what it would consider legitimate military objectives. It systematically and deliberately attacked not just civilians, but civilian infrastructure as well as using starvation and thirst as a weapon against the Palestinian population. The barren landscape of rubble across Gaza demonstrates that for Israel Palestinian homes, schools and hospitals were legitimate military targets. Israel has also killed hundreds of Palestinian athletes and footballers and 300 sports facilities across Gaza and the West Bank have been destroyed. A comprehensive report from a United Nations commission concluded that Israel has committed genocide in the Gaza Strip. The horror stories coming out of Israeli prisons and detention centres are shocking beyond belief. Detainees are regularly beaten, electrocuted, sexually tortured and shockingly abused by military dogs. Detainees are denied adequate food, water and proper medical care. Settler violence has escalated and the illegal land grabs are continuing with the connivance of the Israeli military. If Palestinians intervene to protect their homes and farms, they are the ones attacked and killed by the settlers and the Israeli military. If Ireland competes against the Israeli national team, we are helping to legitimise the genocide and torture and the stealing of Palestinian lands. We would be saying that these human rights abuses and war crimes are acceptable and normal. Israel needs to be sent a clear message that we will never allow it to use sport to normalise its apartheid system, the genocide or systematic abuse and its torture of Palestinians. Israel needs to be suspended from UEFA and the FAI needs to cancel its game against this apartheid regime.

Sentiment score: -0.48