Action Alert

Tell Argentina and Lionel Messi: There is #NothingFriendly About Israel Shooting Palestinian Footballers

Sign the petition urging the Argentina national football team to cancel its "friendly" match with Israel.

Argentina friendly - Eng

العربيةEspañol

In a video message, young Palestinian footballer Mohammed Khalil makes a powerful appeal to the Argentinian national football team, including captain Lionel Messi, to cancel their friendly match with Israel on June 9, 2018. Khalil, from Gaza, was shot by an Israeli sniper in the knee, ending his promising football career.

The scheduled match will be part of Israel’s 70th anniversary “celebrations” and is taking place while Israel implements a criminal shoot-to-kill-or-maim policy against peaceful Palestinian protesters in Gaza. This makes the “friendly” a whitewash of Israel's crimes and therefore extremely unfriendly to human rights!

Israel denies all Palestinians, including footballers, their right to freedom of movement. The Israel Football Association’s official leagues include teams in illegal Israeli settlements that are driving Palestinian communities off their own land.

Palestinian footballer in Gaza to Argentina and Messi: Cancel match in Israel!

Watch! In a video message, young Palestinian footballer Mohammed Khalil makes a powerful appeal to the Argentinian national football team, including captain Lionel Messi, to cancel their friendly match with Israel on June 9, 2018. Khalil, from Gaza, was shot by an Israeli sniper in the knee, ending his promising football career. Tell AFA - Selección Argentina and Leo Messi: There’s #NothingFriendly about shooting footballers! Cancel your match with Apartheid Israel! #Nakba70 #GreatReturnMarch

Posted by Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel on Tuesday, May 15, 2018

 

The Israeli government has agreed to pay three million dollars to host the match. This is part of its “sports-washing” propaganda strategy, which exploits sporting events to hide its systemic human rights abuses against Palestinians.

Argentina and Lionel Messi are adored by fans around the world, including in Palestine and the Arab region, and the calls from BDS Argentina to cancel the match have had huge popular support.

Join Mohammed Khalil and send a strong message to Argentina and Lionel Messi that fans around the world won’t stand for them teaming up with Israel’s regime of oppression against Palestinian human rights!

Argentina: Don't Team Up with Israeli Apartheid

Add your name to our letter now

Dear Lionel Messi and Argentina National Football Team,

We urge you to cancel your friendly match with Israel, scheduled for June 9, 2018, due to Israel’s long record of human rights abuses, on and off the field.

Israel arrests, harasses and kills Palestinian players. It destroys Palestinian stadiums and denies Palestinian footballers the right to travel to play. And, Israeli football leagues include clubs based in illegal Israeli settlements built on stolen Palestinian land .

Israeli snipers killed more than 40 unarmed Palestinians in Gaza and injured thousands. Mohammed Khalil, a Palestinian footballer who was demonstrating with thousands for their basic human rights, was shot by a sniper in both legs, ending his football career.

This is not the first time Israeli bullets have ended Palestinians’ football careers. And, it won't be the last under Israel’s violent regime of occupation and apartheid.

Messi, your game with Israel is political. The Israeli government will use it to cover-up its brutal attacks on Palestinians, on and off the field.

There is nothing “friendly” about military occupation and apartheid. Don’t play Israel until Palestinians’ human rights are respected.

Don’t team up with Israeli apartheid!

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