US EditionPalestinian football pitch faces Israel demolition ultimatum
The pitch serves over 750 young players daily and symbolizes hope amid occupation, despite Israeli claims of lacking permits and ongoing threats of demolition.
- On 3 November last year, Israeli authorities issued a formal demolition notice for the synthetic turf football pitch at Aida refugee camp, and a seven-day legal reprieve expired on Monday.
- Israeli officials say the pitch lacked required permits and lies on land under their civil control, but the camp's managers argue it is leased from the Armenian Monastery with Palestinian permits and prior Israeli Civil Administration confirmation.
- The pitch has served more than 750 young players and is one of 289 Palestinian structures targeted for demolition, with more than 250 children and approximately 500 young men and women using it daily.
- Supporters welcomed the halt but warned it remains only a temporary reprieve, as children of Aida refugee camp continue training amid fear despite UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin's intervention with the Israeli football federation.
- Amid a broader mapping legacy from the Oslo Accords, Area C control underpins such demolition orders as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's settlement plan for 20,000 Israelis intensifies fears for Aida Camp, home to more than 7,000 refugees.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Under pressure from FIFA and UEFA, Palestinian soccer pitch saved from planned Israeli demolition
A Palestinian soccer pitch in the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem has been spared from a planned Israeli demolition order following international pressure, according to sources who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity.
Palestinian kids' soccer dreams lost under Israeli order
A football pitch in a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank faces demolition by Israeli authorities. It is a rare space for play for local children but Israeli authorities argue it is a secuirty risk.
Football authorities step in to stop Israel demolishing pitch for Palestinian children
Uefa’s president and Fifa have persuaded Israel to abandon plans to demolish a Palestinian children’s football pitch.Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin and his Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino joined forces to preserve the facility located adjacent to the Aida refugee camp near Bethlehem.The intervention came following mounting pressure from local campaigners who expressed alarm at the proposed destruction of the 3G surface.Sources close to the …
Pressured by FIFA and UEFA, IDF cancels demolition of a West Bank soccer field
The soccer federations – amid a threat to UEFA's tax-exempt status in Switzerland, over the group's cooperation with Israel – pushed to halt the demolition of a soccer field in the Aida refugee camp. The IDF had called the site's proximity to the West Bank separation barrier a security threat
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