The hearing over Palestine’s bid, which has been deferred multiple times already, is expected to take place next week on October 3.

Palestine has received an independent legal assessment regarding its bid to suspend Israel from FIFA and is hopeful for “justice and equality” during the FIFA Council’s review next week, its football association said.

The Palestine Football Association (PFA)’s motion is scheduled to be reviewed on October 3, and calls for the sanctioning of the Israeli Football Association over its complicity in the ongoing war on the Gaza Strip, widely referred to as a genocide.

“We are patiently awaiting the final decision…with confidence that this process will ultimately lead to justice and equality for Palestinian football and its athletes,” PFA’s statement on Wednesday said.

If the PFA’s bid is successful, it could lead to Israel’s suspension from the international stage and all activities governed by football’s global authority.

Initially presented at the FIFA Congress in Bangkok in May, the Palestine Football Association’s bid was postponed for review at an “extraordinary meeting” called by President Gianni Infantino on July 20.

However, the review was further delayed to August 31 after both football federations requested more time to submit their positions, according to FIFA.

At the time, it was revealed that multiple independent legal reports had already been submitted to FIFA before the deadline.

A timely decision of the independent legal assessment could have resulted in Israel’s team being thrown out of the men’s football tournament at the Olympics.

FIFA ultimately postponed the review to October, acknowledging it had received the independent assessment of PFA’s proposal.

Despite the delays, the PFA said it “appreciates” FIFA’s handling of the matter and remains confident in the “fairness” of the global body.

“We appreciate the professionalism and impartiality FIFA has shown in handling this matter, particularly in referring the issue to legal experts for thorough evaluation,” it added.

Doha News has contacted the Palestine Football Association for further comments but received no answer at the time of publication.

Israeli violations against FIFA statues

Palestine’s sports delegation and athletes have faced numerous human rights violations over the years, including targeted charges and restrictions on movement during sports tournaments, which clearly contravenes FIFA’s statutes.

Israeli forces have bombed stadiums in Palestine, and many Palestinian football players have suffered imprisonment or have been killed by these forces.

Due to the ongoing Israeli occupation and offensive, Palestine’s national team will host its Asian Qualifiers match against Kuwait at Doha’s Jassim bin Hamad Stadium on October 15.

Known as Al Fida’i, the team previously played their first home game against Jordan in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in what has been their closest campaign yet for World Cup qualification.

Calls to suspend Israel from international football have intensified, especially following its indefinite suspension of Lebanon’s football league, marking the second instance of such disruption due to Israeli military actions, after Palestine.

Israel’s onslaught on the Gaza Strip has killed more than 41,000 people, and displaxed 1.9 million people out of the 2.1 million population.

According to the Palestine’s football association, 245 of those killed were footballers, including 69 children.

In Lebanon, the death toll has surpassed 620 after Israel’s heavy air raids that began on Monday.