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<\/p>\nPalestine Football Association president Jibril Rajoub has refused to shake hands with Basim Sheikh Suliman, the vice-president of Israel’s soccer governing body, during a tense moment at the FIFA Congress.<\/p>\n
After the two men addressed the congress, they were called on stage by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. They stood far apart from each other, and Rajoub protested loudly away from the microphones before leaving the stage, as Infantino tried to bring the duo together.<\/p>\n
Asked what Rajoub said when he refused, Palestinian FA vice-president Susan Shalabi, who was in the room, told Reuters: “I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and genocide! We are suffering.”<\/p>\n
Speaking before the congress, Rajoub called on FIFA to address the Palestine Football Association’s (PFA) allegations that Israel has breached anti-discrimination regulations by allowing clubs to be based in the West Bank settlements.<\/p>\n
He confirmed that the PFA is taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after FIFA ruled in March not to suspend Israel over its West Bank clubs. FIFA cited the unresolved and complex legal status of the West Bank.<\/p>\n
Speaking to Reuters after the congress ended, Shalabi said Infantino’s attempt to have Suliman and Rajoub shake hands showed little consideration for the Palestinian FA chief’s speech, in which he made yet another plea for Israeli clubs not to base teams in \u2060the West Bank settlements.<\/p>\n
“To be put in a position \u2060where to have a handshake after everything that was said, this negates the whole purpose of the speech that the general [Rajoub] was giving,” she said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Gianni Infantino attempts to calm Jibril Rajoub after the Palestinian refused the handshake request. (Getty Images: Rich Lam)<\/p>\n
“He spent like 15 minutes trying to explain to everyone how \u2060the rules matter, how this could easily become a precedent where the rights of member associations are violated with impudence, \u2060and then we’ll just wrap this under the carpet. \u2060It was absurd.”<\/p>\n
In a separate matter involving an Israeli club, FIFA fined the Israel Football Association (IFA) $US190,000 ($264,000) on disciplinary charges relating to “discrimination and racist abuse,” plus “offensive behaviour and violations of the principles of fair play”.<\/p>\n
After the two men left the stage at the Vancouver Convention Centre, Infantino thanked them for addressing the delegates and made an appeal.<\/p>\n
“President Rajoub, vice-president Suliman, let’s work together. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. Let’s work together for that,” Infantino said.<\/p>\n