Activists from several Maltese organisations are staging a solidarity action during the Malta–Israel rugby match at the Paola stadium. Last week, these organisations called for Israel’s expulsion from the European Rugby Union, citing its long-standing apartheid policies, illegal occupation of Palestine, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza.
Sport is inherently political. National teams represent the state and are often used to build cultural capital and international legitimacy. This was clearly acknowledged when Russia was expelled from all European sporting bodies, including the rugby union, following its invasion of Ukraine.
Israel engages in sports-washing – using cultural institutions, including sports, to mask its brutal oppression of the Palestinian people. Sport is one of the areas where the apartheid policies of the Israeli state are most visible. While Israeli athletes enjoy unrestricted participation in international events, Palestinian athletes under occupation are routinely denied travel permits, imprisoned, maimed, or even killed.
The last international tour by apartheid South Africa’s rugby team took place in 1981. From that point until the fall of the apartheid regime, the world rightly boycotted South Africa’s team in protest against its racist and oppressive state policies.
Israel has not only implemented an apartheid system against Palestinians for decades but is now perpetrating a full-fledged genocide. This has led to the systematic destruction of infrastructure, healthcare, and education in Gaza; the starvation of the population; and the murder of over 50,000 Palestinians, the majority of whom are women and children.
Just days ago, 15 paramedics and rescue workers in Gaza were executed by Israeli forces – shot in the head at close range and buried in a mass grave.
These horrific crimes have been made possible only with the complicity of Western states, which continue to provide Israel with political cover, as well as financial and military support.
It is a profound moral failing that Israel has been allowed to expel Palestinians from their land for over 76 years, enforce an apartheid regime for decades, and now commit genocide in full view of the world.
The only morally defensible course of action is to isolate the genocidal state of Israel – including by expelling it from international sporting organisations.
Organisations:
Moviment Graffitti
Ġustizzja għall-Palestina
Watermelon Warriors
Lebanese Advocates
Youth for Palestine
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Uru l-Karta l-Ħamra lill-Iżrael: Gruppi Maltin f’Azzjoni Waqt il-Logħba tar-Rugby bejn Malta u l-Iżrael
Attivisti minn diversi organizzazzjonijiet qegħdin jagħmlu azzjoni ta’ solidarjetà waqt il-logħba tar-rugby bejn Malta u l-Iżrael fl-istadium ta’ Raħal Ġdid. Il-ġimgħa l-oħra, dawn l-organizzazzjonjiet sejħu għat-tkeċċija tal-Iżrael mill-Unjoni tar-Rugby Ewropea, fejn semmew il-politiki tal-apartheid li ilhom fis-seħħ għal snin twal, l-okkupazzjoni illegali tal-Palestina, u l-ġenoċidju li għaddej f’Gaża bħalissa.
L-isport fih innifsu huwa politiku. Timijiet nazzjonali jirrappreżentaw l-Istat u mhux l-ewwel darba li ntużaw biex jinbena kapital kulturali u leġittimità. Dan kien rikonoxxut b’mod ċar meta r-Russja ġiet imkeċċija mill-entitajiet Ewropej sportivi kollha, inluż l-unjoni tar-Rugby, meta nvadiet lill-Ukrajna.
L-Iżrael iħobb jipprova jiġbor ġieħu permezz tal-isport – billi juża istituzzjonijiet kulturali, inkluż l-isport, biex jaħbi l-oppressjoni brutali tiegħu tal-poplu Palestinjan. L-isport huwa wieħed mill-oqsma fejn il-politiki tal-apartheid tal-Iżrael joħorġu fil-beraħ. Filwaqt li l-atleti Iżraeljani jistgħu jipparteċipaw f’avvenimenti internazzjonali mingħajr restrizzjonijiet, l-atleti Palestinjani fl-artijiet okkupati kontinwament jiġu miċħuda permessi biex jivjaġġaw, jintbagħtu l-ħabs, jindarbu, jew saħansitra jiġu maqtula.
L-aħħar vjaġġ internazzjonali mit-tim tar-rugby tal-Afrika t’Isfel taħt l-apartheid sar fl-1981. Minn dakinhar sakemm waqa’ r-reġim tal-apartheid, id-dinja bbojkottjat lit-tim tar-rugby tal-Afrika t’Isfel bi protesta kontra l-politiki razzisti u oppressivi tagħha, u għamlet sew.
L-Iżrael mhux biss ilu jħaddem sistema tal-apartheid kontra l-Palestinjani għal għexieren ta’ snin, imma bħalissa qiegħed iwettaq ġenoċidju sħiħ. Dan wassal għall-qerda sistematika tal-infrastruttura, tas-servizzi tas-saħħa u tal-edukazzjoni f’Gaża; għall-qtil bil-ġuħ tal-popolazzjoni; u għall-qtil ta’ iktar minn 50,000 Palestinjan, il-maġġoranza tagħhom nisa u tfal.
Ftit tal-jiem ilu biss, 15 il-paramediku u ħaddiema tas-salvataġġ ġewwa Gaża ġew maqtula mill-forzi Iżraeljani – billi sparawlhom għal rashom mill-qrib u difnuhom ġo qabar tal-massa.
Dawn ir-reati tal-biża’ setgħu iseħħu biss bil-kompliċità ta’ stati tal-Punent, li jibqgħu jappoġġjaw lill-Iżrael politikament, u saħansitra jfornuh finanzjarjament u militarment.
Huwa falliment morali profond li l-Iżrael tħalla jkeċċi lill-Palestinjani minn arthom għal iktar minn 76 sena, iħaddem reġim tal-apartheid għal għexieren ta’ snin, u issa qed jitħalla jikkommetti ġenoċidju quddiem id-dinja kollha.
L-unika azzjoni li moralment tista’ tiġi ġġustifikata bħalissa hija l-iżolament tal-istat ġenoċidali Iżraeljan – inkluż it-tkeċċija tiegħu mill-organizzazzjonijiet sportivi internazzjonali.
Għaqdiet:
Moviment Graffitti
Ġustizzja għall-Palestina
Watermelon Warriors
Lebanese Advocates
Youth for Palestine
