There’s nothing “friendly” about playing football with teams representing apartheid Israel.

Balata Youth Center, whose 16-year-old player Saeed Odeh was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers last year, and the Palestine Amputee Football Association, made up of players who lost limbs to Israeli snipers and military assaults on Gaza, urge international teams not to play in apartheid Israel.

Despite apartheid Israel’s increased brutality, there is also light on the horizon.

10 UK unions have issued a statement condemning Israel's ciminalisation of six civil society organisations, which the unions say fits the international legal definition of apartheid and should be viewed in such context.

Statements in support of Palestinian rights, many advocating for BDS, have been endorsed by more than 350 academic departments, programs, centers, unions and societies and garnered nearly 24,000 signatures from scholars, researchers, students and university staff worldwide.

East Sussex Pension Fund has announced its divestment from Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest private arms manufacturer.