Palestinian FA chief refuses handshake with Israeli counterpart at FIFA congress

Palestinian Football Association President Jibril Rajoub refused to shake hands with an Israeli counterpart during a FIFA meeting, saying: “National dignity is not subject to protocol,” Anadolu reports. The incident occurred when FIFA President Gianni Infantino invited Rajoub to greet Israeli Football Association Vice President Bassem Sheikh Suleiman during the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Canada, on Thursday. Rajoub later shared a video on Facebook, which stated: “From the FIFA platform, we took a clear and principled position by refusing to shake hands with the representative of the Israeli association.” He said it was “an affirmation that national dignity is not subject to protocol considerations, and out of respect for the sanctity of our people’s blood, including our athletes.” In […]