IOF briefly detain PFA head upon returning from Paris 2024 Olympics
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Israeli occupation forces summon Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestine Football Association, for interrogation before Israeli intelligence at the so-called Ofer Camp.
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Head of the Palestinian Football Association Jibril Rajoub speaks during a press conference in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Monday, September 3, 2018. (AP)
Israeli occupation forces briefly detained Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestine Football Association (PFA), as he returned through the Karama/King Hussein Bridge crossing with Jordan after attending the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the WAFA news agency reported on Tuesday.
Upon his return, Rajoub was issued a summons to appear before Israeli intelligence at the so-called Ofer Camp next Thursday.
Rajoub told WAFA that Israeli occupation forces seized his passport and conducted a thorough search before issuing the summons.
He said that all Palestinians are being targeted by the Israeli occupation, pointing out, "This is something expected from an occupying power that wipes out our people and seeks to displace them, without differentiating between a woman, a child, or an elderly."
Rajoub, who also serves as the Secretary-General of Fatah's Central Committee, affirmed that he would not comply with the Israeli summons, asserting, "This is an occupation authority, and I will not comply with its summon."
Rajoub, who heads both the Palestinian Football Association and the Palestine Olympic Committee, has called for "Israel’s" suspension from world football over its war on the Gaza Strip, and the PFA has reported Israeli violations in Gaza, specifically against Palestinian footballers and sports infrastructure.
He mentioned receiving threats due to his proposal, saying that "the Israeli Minister of Foreign Affairs has made serious threats to imprison me if I do not withdraw this proposal, but no power in the world can stand in the way of truth."
Last week, the Palestinian official mourned Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas' political bureau, who was assassinated by "Israel" in the Iranian capital Tehran, saying that the martyr has joined "the ranks of the martyrs of occupied Palestine, who sacrificed their lives for freedom and independence."
He stressed that the occupation’s assassination of a political leader and its violation of a sovereign state "reflects its disdain for Palestinian blood and the sovereignty of a great nation."
Rajoub added that the Israeli occupation's actions "constitute a heinous crime added to its long record of atrocities, continuing its war of comprehensive extermination."
He also highlighted that Haniyeh insisted on national unity in a way that preserved the project for the Palestinian struggle, emphasizing that the occupation's ongoing crimes should serve as "an incentive to build national unity."
