Israeli forces stormed the Palestinian Faisal Al Husseini Stadium in an unprovoked tear gas attack on players and fans

By Paul Nicholson

31 March - Israeli forces stormed into the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium last night and fired tear gas into the pitch and the stands, interrupting the Abu Ammar Cup final for an hour while the players and supporters were cared for.

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The Israeli attack appears to be unprovoked and Israeli authorities have not issued a statement regarding the incident or who ordered troops to attack players and fans at the stadium.

The Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium is the headquarters of the Palestinian FA. The Abu Ammar Cup is named after former Palestinian President Yasser Arafat who was Chairman of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) from 1969 to 2004 and Chairman of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) from 1994 to 2004 .

This year's final is between two of the West Bank Premier League's top teams, Jabal Al Mukkabber and Balata FC.

Around 10 p.m., two Israeli armored vehicles burst into the stadium. The soldiers got out of the vehicles and started firing tear gas from behind a wall.

The match was stopped to treat the injured, including women and children.

Earlier this week, FIFA scrapped hosting of the U20 World Cup due to start in May from Indonesia.

The ruling Indonesian Democratic Struggle Party (PDI-P) criticized Israel's participation in the tournament, while Bali Governor Wayan Koster wrote to the Ministry of Youth and Sports imploring them" to adopt a policy prohibiting the Israeli team from competing in Bali" due to the conflict with Palestine.

With the Israelis unable to compete, FIFA made the only decision they could and withdrew the tournament from Indonesia.

The Israeli military's actions in the West Bank last night will do nothing to bolster their argument that they are good citizens of the world when it comes to football and the right to play - a right that was implemented in their favor but which they refused to respect in Palestine last night.

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