Video footage shows Israeli attack on Palestinian stadium, AFC condemns unprovoked assault

By Paul Nicholson

April 3 - Video footage of the Israeli attack on the Faisal Al Husseini International Stadium on March 30 has been released (see below) along with more details on the attack itself and the use of rubber bullets fired in the VIP area.

The rubber bullets were fired into an area where Turkey's Ambassador to Palestine was being greeted by Palestinian FA President Major General Jbril Rajoub. There were no injuries and the VIP guests were escorted to safety.

Around 10 p.m. on Thursday, March 30, two Israeli armored vehicles burst into the stadium. The soldiers got out of the vehicles and started firing tear gas from behind a wall and directly into the stadium.

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The match - which pits two of the West Bank Premier League's top sides, Jabal Al Mukkabber and Balata FC - has been stopped to treat the injured, including women and children.

Videos show supporters spilling onto the pitch and scaling the terrace fence to escape tear gas and find safety.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) issued a statement condemning the "unjustified and horrific attack by Israeli forces on players and fans during the Abu Ammar Cup final".

"During this attack, Israeli forces used tear gas and rubber bullets, which caused the match to be stopped, as many players and fans, including children and women, were suffering from 'shortness of breath, following gas inhalation tears, and they had to be treated in the field or transferred to hospital,' the statement read.

“The AFC calls for an end to all forms of violence by Israeli forces against the Palestinian people, and affirms its solidarity with the Palestinian Football Association and the entire football community in Palestine. "

Israeli forces fire tear gas and rubber bullets. Click here to see the video.

Israeli Border Police acknowledged the attack in a statement, saying: "There was disturbance near the stadium. We had an activity to prevent the infiltration of illegal residents at a very close point. The forces used means to disperse the demonstrations towards the rioters. It poured onto the field but was not directed towards the field."

However, the footage clearly shows tear gas being fired into the stadium and the statement does not explain why rubber bullets were fired indiscriminately into the stands.

Last week, FIFA canceled the organization of the U20 World Cup which was supposed to start in May from Indonesia.

A predominantly Muslim country, 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 to implore him 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 possible and withdrew the tournament from Indonesia.

Following the decision to scrap the hosting rights, the Palestinian released his own statement saying: "The Palestinian Supreme Youth and Sports Council and the Palestinian sports family regret the decision of the football governing body World Cup (FIFA) to strip Indonesia of its year's Under-20 World Cup hosting rights in response to nationwide protests against Israeli apartheid and support Indonesia and the Indonesian sporting family. /p>

“Although we believe that sport and politics should be kept separate, it is difficult to turn a blind eye to national grievances as this negates democracy. The Palestinian people suffer death and destruction at the hands of an occupation bolstered by the most extreme, racist and right-wing government in Israel's short modern history; an occupation that unleashes vandalism by bloodthirsty settlers bent on emptying populated Palestinian villages of their people by lethal force. Indonesian people exercised their democratic right to demand a ban on racism and the country was punished for this expression."

The statement goes on to criticize FIFA, comparing the situation in Palestine to that in Ukraine and saying that FIFA “must apply equal standards in international football affairs. this situation if FIFA had applied its rules in the case of Israel as it did in Russia."

"It is both disconcerting and sad to see the double standards employed by the civilized world in response to similar scenarios when played out by different actors; while taki...