Soccer: Palestine drops motion to have Israel suspended from FIFA

Palestine unexpectedly dropped its motion to suspend Israel from international football on Friday amid highly-charged scenes at the FIFA Congress.

Instead, soccer's governing body agreed to send observers to monitor the freedom of players and officials to travel to and from the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories – one of the main complaints raised by Palestinian authorities.

In a statement from Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed what he called the Palestinians' failure to freeze Israel out of world soccer, saying it represented a success for his government's diplomatic efforts.

Many ordinary Palestinians expressed anger and disappointment over the decision to avoid a showdown.

Israel Football Association (IFA) President Ofer Eini at one point called on his Palestine counterpart Jibril Rajoub to come on stage at the FIFA Congress and shake hands, something Rajoub initially declined in a tense standoff. "I would very much want us to shake hands, and say we are launching a new road," said Eini.

The pair eventually shook hands once FIFA President Sepp Blatter put forward the proposal aimed at preventing a divisive vote at a very difficult time for the soccer federation, which is reeling from a corruption scandal.

The Palestine FA (PFA) has complained of anti-Arab racism in the Israeli game and accused Israel of hampering its activities and restricting the movement of players between the Israeli-occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip. Israel cites security concerns for the restrictions and the country's football association has argued that it has no control over such matters.

FIFA has been trying to settle the matter for two years, and Blatter this month travelled to the region and met Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.    (Reuters)

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