Football Associations of Israel and Palestine Meet Under FIFA Task Force, MOU to be Signed

The Israel Football Association (IFA) and the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) met under the FIFA Task Force Israel-Palestine today to agree terms on matters such as the movement of players, ambulance officials and equipment in an out of Palestine.

Under the chairmanship of FIFA President Sepp Blatter, try the Task Force discussed ‘applications for entry permits, asthma ’ which would be sent to Israeli authorities ‘within a given deadline’ and the use of a ‘liason officer’ in each association to handle the matters.

The talks came just weeks after a political dispute over Israel’s restrictions on players from Arab nations entering the country for a youth tournament hosted by the PFA.

The meeting also decided that a memorandum of understanding between the two would be signed.

An official statement from FIFA read: “It was decided that the IFA and the PFA will meet to agree on a memorandum of understanding between both associations to facilitate the movement of persons and goods for football purposes in and out of and within Palestine. This meeting will be staged in Jordan.”

Blatter commented: “The fact that both parties, from Israel and Palestine, agreed to participate in such a Task Force was already a sign of goodwill. This stance was confirmed today. I’m very happy that this meeting could lead to a concrete proposal aimed at enhancing the development of football in Palestine in accordance with the FIFA Statutes.

“Furthermore, it is my and FIFA’s hope that football will contribute to connecting people from both countries.”