No Handshake! Palestine Football Chief Refuses To Share Stage With Israel's VP, FIFA Head Caught Off Guard

Last Updated:May 01, 2026, 12:18 IST

At FIFA Congress, Palestinian FA chief Jibril Rajoub refused to stand with Israel FA vice president Basim Sheikh Suliman, reiterating calls for sanction over West Bank clubs.

Palestinian football federation president Jibril Rajoub refused to stand alongside Israel FA vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman in a heated moment at the FIFA Congress on Thursday.

Both men were called to the stage by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, but Rajoub declined to move closer to the Arab-Israeli official.

Infantino placed his hand on Rajoub’s arm and gestured for him to approach Suliman, but Rajoub refused.

Asked what Rajoub said when he declined, 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."

Israel has denied committing genocide in Gaza.

Infantino then took the stage and said: “We will work together, president Rajoub, vice-president Suliman. Let’s work together to give hope to the children. These are complex matters."

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 again appealed for Israeli clubs not to base teams in West Bank settlements.

“To be put in a position where you have a handshake after everything that was said, this negates the whole purpose of the speech that the general (Rajoub) was giving," she said.

“He spent like 15 minutes trying to explain to everyone how the rules matter, how this could easily become a precedent where the rights of member associations are violated with impudence, and then we’ll just wrap this under the carpet. It was absurd."

Rajoub said: “From my side, I still respect and follow the legal procedure, but I think it’s time to understand that Israel should be sanctioned. The double standard policy should stop.

“I refused to shake hands. Sport is sport… for me that should be respected, but if the other side is representing a criminal like Bibi (Benjamin Netanyahu) and speaking on behalf of Bibi as if Bibi is Mother Teresa, how can I shake hands or have a photo with such a man?

“I think Gianni has the right to try to bridge gaps and bring people together, but I think maybe he does not understand or does not know the deep suffering of the Palestinian people."

What Is Israel-Palestine Football Controversy?

Last week, the PFA appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against FIFA’s decision not to sanction Israel over clubs based in West Bank settlements.

The PFA has long argued that clubs based in settlements in the West Bank — territory Palestinians seek as part of a future state — should not compete in leagues run by the Israel Football Association.

FIFA said last month it would take no action against the IFA or Israeli clubs, citing the unresolved legal status of the West Bank under public international law.

As they were leaving the Vancouver Convention Centre, Rajoub and Shalabi were confronted by protesters demanding that FIFA ban Iran from the World Cup on the grounds that the team, they say, represents the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

“Does that convince you that you have to support IRGC… because you’re having a problem with Israel?" one protester asked Rajoub.

“We’re not supporting anyone, we just want the support of the international community," Rajoub said.

(With inputs from Agencies)

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