The Palestinian National team traveled to Dili, East Timor this week to continue their long road to World Cup qualification. East Timor may not sound like a football powerhouse, but the recent influx of Brazilians on the team has elevated the country to a period of unprecedented success. The first half was slow with very little action other than Palestine hitting the crossbar. The second half was far more exiting, with the East-Timoreans putting more and more pressure on the Palestinian goal. At the fifty fourth minute, sloppy Palestinian defending and a lack of concentration by Palestinian goalkeeper Toufic Ali resulted in Ramon Saro, one of the nationalized Brazilians, scoring an easy header. The Palestinians did not give up hope, and continually attacked the Timorean goal. One of the best chances of the game came from Imad Zatara, the avid Palestinian goal scorer playing his trade in Sweden, completely missing the goal from less than ten yards out. The attacking combination of Mahmoud Eid and Matias Jadue allowed for several more chances to be created, but the finishing was just not there. When it seemed all but over, one final push resulted in Ahmed Abu Nayeh scoring a last minute equalizer and forcing the game to a tie. Take nothing away from East Timor, who played a fantastic game and seemed like a completely different team than the one who were annihilated by Saudi Arabia last month, the Palestinians did not play as well as they should have. Palestinian coach Abdel- Nasser Barakat's tactics do not seem to be paying off as Palestine have only taken 2 points from the last two games. If Palestine have any real chance to taking the second place spot and being in the running to make it to the next round, they must get their act together with the remaining four games. They currently sit in the third place of Group A, two points behind the UAE who succumbed to a narrow loss to the Saudis. Saudi Arabia seem to have the group under their control, but the last four games could tell a different story. Special recognition must go out to East Timor for playing a solid match and making Palestine really fight for the point. East Timorean football hasn't looked this promising since A Barefoot Dream .
Matias Jadue, the Chilean born striker, battles for the ball during Palestine's first competitive home game in over three years. It was a relatively positive result which ended with a 0-0 tie with the UAE.
Next up, Palestine face a tough Saudi Arabian side who seem set to take first place in the group. Although originally scheduled to be played three days after the match with East Timor, the match against Saudi Arabia has been postponed due to a seemingly unavoidable political conflict. In short, the Saudi Arabian government refuses to recognize Israel and therefor refuse to enter the country, which is the only possible way to enter Palestinian territories. Although the PFA provided Saudi Arabia with alternatives such as the use of helicopters to enter Palestine, the Saudis continually refuse. Usually, refusal to play results in a forfeit and subsequent 3-0 loss, however FIFA has not gone this route but has instead have been playing to Saudi interests. The game has been indefinitely postponed until an ultimatum can be reached, most likely where the game will have to be played on a neutral ground. Saudi Arabia's antics are nothing new and they continually refuse Palestine their right to play on home soil in front of thousands of excited fans. There are both positive and negative implications with the postponement of the game. On a positive note, the Palestinians have avoided having to play a very exhausting Saudi team in such a short amount of time after their last game. However, the uncertainty on when the next game will be is detrimental to Palestine's foreign based players, coming from Chile, Sweden, and Slovenia. One can only hope the argument is solved quickly and FIFA upholds Palestine's right to play on home soil.
With four games in and four to go, these are the current standings in Group A.
Although Palestine's chances of World Cup qualification are very slim, the national team provides a source of pride for thousands of Palestinians, especially with the recent outbreak of violence spreading throughout the country. Recent claims of the "Third Intifada" being underway promises nothing but mass killings and uncontrolled violence. As a Palestinian, I hope to see the team playing on home soil and recreating the absolutely wild scenes from the UAE game a month ago. Best of luck to the Palestinian national team, and the other football minnows trying to reach their ultimate destination, a spot at Russia 2018.
The Palestinian national team took center stage last month as they started their long, difficult road to the World Cup in Russia in 2018. Asia's World Cup qualification is an extremely difficult process for the weaker teams who are usually paired up against much stronger opponents and eliminated very early on in the competition. A new format saw Palestine be drawn into a group with Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, East Timor, and the UAE. In June, Palestine played their first two games against the Saudis and Malaysia. This is Palestine's story of heartbreak, resilience, pride, and joy.
The very young, inexperienced Palestinian national team consisting of player from Sweden, Slovenia, and Chile.
First, the Palestinians faced the enormous, seemingly-impossible task of defeating the Saudis at their home. The Saudi team is much more experienced and consists of players who play in some of the world's top leagues, and was obviously confident they would not drop points to their far-weaker Arab counterparts. The game started terribly for the Palestinians. Five minutes in the Saudis scored and the possibility of an upset seemed all but over. Second half starts, and the Saudis find themselves another goal. The game seemed over, the Palestinians defeated. Chilean-Palestinian Pablo Tamburini thought otherwise and found the end of a cross to get the Palestinians right back in it. 2-1 down and less then two minutes left to play, the game was surely over. Saudi's goalkeeper though otherwise. An extremely stupid move saw the goalie give the ball straight to Chilean-Palestinian striker Matias Jadue who calmly sent the ball into the net and put the Palestinians on level terms. The Palestinians went berserk. Pure Euphoria. Against all odds, they managed to level the game against one of the strongest teams in Asia and their World Cup dream was still intact. There was just one problem. The game hadn't ended. The ref blew his whistle to start play for the last minute of stoppage time remaining and some horrendous defending led to utter heartbreak. The Saudis managed to score. The last kick of the game was the Saudi Arabian goal and the Palestinians were in shock. I, watching from a grainy live stream, could not believe my eyes. In a matter of seconds, pure euphoria turned to complete agony. It was heartbreaking to watch, but the Palestinians had done it to themselves.
Now, the Palestinians had to pick themselves up and try to get a win against a relatively strong Malaysian side. The two teams seemed evenly matched and the game could go either way. One advantage Malaysia had over the Palestinians was the home-field advantage, and the support of thousands of dedicated fans. Both teams had something to prove and this was their opportunity to make a name for themselves. The World Cup may still be a world away, but these game hold the same importance for these players as the World Cup final does for players like Messi. Palestine had a point to prove and needed the points to have any hope of advancing out of their group.
The Palestinians took to the field, and they did not disappoint. Goals rained into the Malaysian net, and the Palestinians found themselves up 3-0 by halftime. They were playing some of the best football in their entire history and seemed unstoppable. The Malaysians looked like boys among men, and could not withstand the sheer quality of the Palestinian players. Perhaps the most incredible story to come out of the game is that of Sameh Maraaba. The young Palestinian player was traveling with team almost a year ago, and was detained and unjustly imprisoned by Israeli Security forces. Strict travel restriction made this the norm for the Palestinians and it was assumed he would be quickly released. The young footballing hopeful found himself locked inside an Israeli prison for 8 months for absolutely no reason or evidence. After pressure by the international community, Israel finally released him and he was welcomed home as a hero. Imprisonment had taken its toll on Sameh and he was out of shape and not the young football prodigy that he once seemed to be. Despite his unjust circumstances, Sameh trained nonstop and soon found himself on the roster for Palestine's team traveling to Malaysia. By the end of the Malaysia game, Palestine had annihilated and humiliated the Malaysians and won 6-0. Sameh was one of the best players on the pitch and scored two great goals to lead his team to victory. 12 moths earlier, young Sameh was locked up somewhere in an Israeli prison with no hope of survival and now he lead his team to international glory.
Sameh Maraaba celebrating his goal.
The Malaysia game left Palestinians everywhere feeling a sense of national pride and jubilation. It was by far one of Palestine's best game in their football history and will not be forgotten anytime soon. Palestine now sit atop their group and still have to play UAE and East Timor, then every team again. Although World Cup qualification is a long way away and is still an extremely difficult, unlikely accomplishment for the Palestinian National Team, the significance of such a huge win extends far beyond just football. This sent a message to the rest of the world the Palestine is still here, still struggling, but still surviving. Despite not having a recognized nation, having one of the worlds highest unemployment rate, worst economies, most populated cities, and under constant threat of Israeli occupation, Palestinians remain hopeful of a brighter tomorrow. Sameh Maraaba is just one example of how dedication and resilience can go a long way, which is something that all Palestinians need right now. I want to thank the heroes out on the pitch who showed us what it means to be a Palestinian. In the words of the Egyptian commentator who went insane after Palestine's fantastic performance, "Raise your head, you are an Arab! Raise your head, you are a Palestinian!"
The Palestinians pray after scoring against Malaysia.
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish is a prime example of a man able to defy all expectations and achieve something incredible. Born in the Jabbalia refugee camp in Gaza, Dr. Abuelaish received all his primary education from schools set up across refugee camps. Despite the challenges associated with such an inadequate environment, Dr Abulaish made the best of his situation is studied harder than most students. This perseverance and diligence allowed Dr. Abuelaish to study medicine in Egypt London, and even Harvard. Today, Dr. Abulaish is a renowned gynecologist. However, the most incredible, heart breaking part of Dr. Abulaish's story is the murder of his three children and a niece at the hands of an Israeli bombing. Dr. Abulaish was the first Palestinian doctor to work in an Israeli hospital, and for all his kindness he was repayed by the shelling of his own home and murder of his own children. His heart-wrenching story serves as an example of the impudent, inhumane, heartless nature of the Israeli military.This attack left Dr. Abuelaish's world in ruins, and despite three of his own children being killed at the hands of the oppressive Israeli military, Dr. Abuelaish refused to let hate consume his soul. He instead saw the imminent importance of bringing peace and eradicating hate from both sides of the conflict, in hopes of ending the seemingly endless cycle of violence that so unfairly took his daughters' lives. Dr. Abuelaish has written an incredibly touching book on his unfortunate situation, called I Shall Not Hate: A Gaza Doctor's Journey on the Road to Peace and Human Dignity . Dr. Abuelaish also gave an extremely moving TED Talk at TEDxWaterlooo. Dr. Abuelaish is a man we should all strive to be like, because despite the pain and suffering he has faced throughout his life, he refuses to succumb to the harmful nature of hate and instead radiates love.
"The greatest weapon of mass destruction is the hate in our souls." -Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish
At first glimpse, you wouldn't think Omar Jarun could possibly be a Palestinian footballer. Towering at a ridiculous height of 6 feet 5 inches, Omar looks more like he plays american football and is as American and white as can get. He has a deep, southern voice and dosen't speak a word of Arabic. However, Omar is a Palestinian football legend. Since his first callup to the team in 2007, Omar has established himself as a great of Palestinian football and by far one of the greatest defenders to represent Palestine. At age 31, Jarun's career is coming to a close and we look back into the start of his career, his greatest moments, and current performance.
Omar was born in Kuwait to an American mother and father from Jordan, but had Palestinian roots. With the ensuing Gulf War, Jarun's family fled the country when Omar was still at a young age. They moved to the promised land, The United Sates and lived in Peachtree, Georgia. Omar was raised and started his footballing career here. Jarun played for his high school soccer team, and showed immense talent as a forward (later he changes to a more defensive role). Combined with his incredible vision and towering height, Jarun was a top talent and a move to a top college for soccer was imminent. Like every young teenager, Jarun dreamt of playing for the United States National team, but it was to be otherwise.
Omar using his height to beat a defender and win a header.
Omar was offered to play soccer for the University of Memphis and later at the University of Dayton, where he started his promising career. Jarun was a great forward and later center back, but not enough to be drafted into the MLS, so he had to start his professional career from the bottom. He was offered his first professional contract with American third division side Fort Wayne Fever in Indiana. Jarun had to crawl his way up to a truly great team, and stated by giving consistent performances with his lowly team. Upon his impressive games in Indiana, Jarun was spotted by Chicago Fire FC, and got an offer to be a part of their U-23 squad. After a year, it was time for Omar to move on, and he decided to move back to where he grew up, Georgia. He played a solid two years with the second division side, Atlanta Silverbacks.
Atlanta was where Omar started making a name for himself, and got the attention of Palestinian and Jordanian scouts looking for footballers who had roots in their respective countries. Omar was the product of the Palestinian diaspora and was highly coveted for scouts looking for incredible, foreign talent to bolster the squad. Despite an offering from the highly rated Jodanian national team, Omar agreed to play for the land of his ancestors and be a part of Palestine's unjust, difficult, and dangerous footballing journey. At club level, Omar was offered a move to another NASL side Vancouver Whitecaps (started in MLS in 2010) where he played his some of the best games in his career. He even featured in a match agianst L.A. Galaxy and superstar David Beckham. However, Jarun's most incredible stories come form his lesser known and highly underated national team.
Palestinian football is now greater then it has ever been, but it was a long, difficult, and dangerous road to get there. Jarun started in 2007, where he would become an integral part of Palestine's under-preforming, under funded, and highly disappointing team. The team faced all sort of problems, from internal problems with the PFA(Palestinian Football Association) to external problems including travel restriction, player arrests, and other problems put in place by Israel. Football was Palestine's only voice, and a medium for the country to get some international recognition it despretaley needs and deserves. With knowledge of a rapidly growing team, Israel has tried everything to hinder any team progress by arresting and torturing players (Mahmoud Sarsak), murdering former players (Ahed Zaqout), and placing extremely difficult travel restrictions to avoid the team from leaving the country. Despite all this, Omar Jarun was not afraid of playing and was proud to represent his people. Although not much to show for it, Omar career with Palestine team has been nothing short of incredible. Despite enduring several disappointing losses, Jarun has been an active part of the squad. He has participated in all types of tournaments including the West Asian Football Federation Championship, 2 disappointing World Cup qualifying campaigns, and several runs in the AFC Challenge Cup. His hard work finally came to fruition in the summer of 2014, when he lead Palestine to an AFC Challenge cup victory and allowed no goals the entire tournament.
Omar (middle) preparing for a World Cup qualification game.
For all his hard work and dedication, Jarun was rewarded by not being chosen to play in Palestine's biggest and most important tournament, the 2015 AFC Asian Cup in Australia. After a horrendous tournament, Palestine's faliure of a coach, Ahmad El- Hassan, will be shaking his head at the stupid decision to not bring Omar along. After several brief stints with teams around the world including Belgium, Omar returned to another NASL team, Ottawa Fury, and is an important member of their squad. Omar's future with the Palestine national team is uncertain, and he may decide to hang up his boots after not being chosen despite all his hard work. However, Palestinian fans everywhere can only pray Omar decides to remain with the team, for his experience and work ethic is unprecedented. On a personal note, I want to say I have met Omar and must describe him as a gentle giant, and an extremely kind and humble man. I watched his NASL game between Ottawa and his former team Atlanta, and despite not playing, he met up with me after the game and was extremely kind. His contagious smile, combined with his ridiculous work ethic makes him a legend on and off the pitch. I speak for Palestine fans everywhere when I say Omar is one of the greatest players to have worn the Palestinian jersey, and can only hope that he decides to remain with the squad. Thank you Omar!
Omar running with the ball in Palestine's game vs. Qatar
If there is one physical structure that symbolizes the Palestinian struggle, it's the Apartheid Wall. Formally known as Israeli West Bank Barrier, the Wall stretches almost 500 km long across the West Bank. Created in 2003, the divider was implemented after the Second Palestinian Intifada as a mean of protection for the Israeli people. However, the negative consequences the barrier has had on the Palestinian people far outweighs any positive implications towards bringing peace. This Wall has had numerous impacts on Palestinians living in the West Bank, including but not limited to continued loss of Palestinian land, separation between Palestinian families, negative impacts on Palestinian education and medical services, increased difficulty in traveling (as if it wasn't hard enough already), prevention of jobs, and a drastic negative impact on Palestine's economy. As horrible and past our time (Berlin Wall anyone?) the creation of the Wall may seem, there is one troubling fact that is worst of all: The Wall is barely halfway complete and will extend over 800 km in the coming years.
In my frequent visits to the West Bank, I have seen the Wall in all its enormity several times and it never fails to shock me. Perhaps the most incredible,beautiful aspect of the wall is the graffiti that covers almost every inch. Physical products of apartheid is a modern day rarity, so several world renowned artists along with frustrated Palestinian youth never turn down the chance to mark the wall with symbols of hope, freedom, and political figures. Famous street artist, Banksy, has also added his stunning work to the Apartheid Wall, which has begun to transform into an artistic movement. In my visits, I have seen several murals of political leaders including Yaser Arafat and Mahmoud Barghouti along with an essay against apartheid sprayed across the Wall, spanning for miles. The fact that the international community has done so little to prevent the ongoing construction of such a discriminatory structure both saddens and disappoints me. Several UN resolutions have been made to halt construction of the Wall, but has always failed due to U.S. vetoes. Despite the fact that construction of such barriers on foreign land is a major violation of International Law, the construction has resumed and doesn't look to end any time soon.
Although the Wall may have initially served a purpose of protecting Israeli citizens from attacks by hostile Palestinians, it has now become far to excessive and invasive. In fact, the Wall has major economic consequences for both Palestine and Israel. The Palestinian consequences are obvious and include preventing any form of travel between cities, destroying several Palestinian farmlands, halting any progress of Palestinian job opportunities, and many more. The construction also negatively affects Israel, for a major chunk of government spending is put into the unnecessary construction. Millions of dollars have been poured into the construction, and even took so much that in 2010 Israel had to slow down construction as a result of excessive spending. Despite these effects, Israel refuses to end the siege of Palestinian land in the name of "self-protection."
Since the construction doesn't look to end anytime soon, we must try to look at the positives such as the medium of non violent self expression the Wall provides. As a Palestinian, it excites me to see so much artistic attention the Wall has received and how the thing meant to weaken us is giving us life. I urge anyone who visits Palestine to take a visit to the Aparthied Wall (it literally spans across half of Palestine, so its really not that hard) and bask in it's beauty. The Wall embodies the everyday struggles Palestinians face in living in their own land. Perhaps the most vivid, artistic part of the Wall is in the city of Al- Ram, just across Palestine's national football stadium. When the gun fails to further the Palestinian cause, it is time to turn to the paintbrush, a medium of Palestinian representation that can be seen across the World.
More on the Wall and its effect on Palestinians: http://www.stopthewall.org/
Gallery of Pictures from the Apartheid Wall:
Palestinian President Abbas speaking with his nemesis and main source of income, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.
In a shocking turn of events, President Abbas has finally done something that may bring hope for peace in Palestine. President Abbas formally requested for Palestine to become a part of the International Criminal Court. This is a long overdue action, that must be applauded. For those unfamiliar, the ICC works out of The Hague in Switzerland and is responsible for prosecuting persons guilty of genocide, ethnic cleansing, crimes against humanity, and other related war crimes. This request comes after the continuing rejection of all Palestinian proposals including ending the ongoing construction of settlements happening on Palestinian territory. The ICC may give hope to all Palestinians looking to prosecute Israel for the blatant violation of international law and nonstop murder of Palestinian civilians.
It will take a minimum of 60 days before the ICC responds to the application, although Palestine are expected to be admitted. The real question is whether the ICC will charge Israel for the obvious war crimes and atrocities that have taken place in recent time such as the summer 2014 Gaza attacks. Both Israel and the United States refuses to join the ICC, for fears of their civilians being prosecuted in any laws other than their own. So far the ICC has only been effective in one area of the world, Africa. They have charged and arrested several African rebel leaders that have committed similar war crimes to the one that happened in Gaza. The massive death toll of 2,200 people, 80% of which were innocent civilians should do more than just raise a couple eyebrows, but rather be a call to action in ending the seemingly endless and extremely bloody conflict. A report by Amnesty International even labeled the Gaza attacks as war crimes. However, Israel have faced no jurisdiction for their inhumane actions but rather continued support from countries such as the United States. In addition, every Palestinian proposal for peace has been immediately shut down, for somehow "hindering the peace process". It has become obvious that there is no point in trying to settle an agreement with a nation that does not want anything to change, so Palestine must look to the ICC for help.
It is important to note that this prosecution is a double edged sword. Although Palestine will be looking to charge Israel with war crimes, a full investigation will be under way and it may backfire and charge Hamas militants with aggressive actions. However, compared to the 2200 Palestinians killed and the thousands displaced and injured, 67 Israeli military members were killed. Although the killing is just as awful and must condemned, all those who died were members of the Israeli armed forces and knew what they signed up for. This is compared to the thousands of innocent children that were targeted and murdered by those same Israeli forces. The ICC does not have the ability to charge states, entities, or organizations but only persons. This will be a barrier to charging the entire Israeli government for their terrorist actions, but a persecution of any high ranking Israeli official would be a powerful statement against Israel. Israel has already condemned the request to join the ICC and has even gone as far as to freeze all Palestinian tax funds. They said that 127 million dollars collected for the Palestinian Authority will be held back to condemn them for finally acting out. Palestinian official Saeb Erekat did not take long to call out this action, calling it "a new war crime." This is not the first time Israel has done this unjust act, in April of last year they did the same thing because President Abbas applied to join several international conventions and treaties. Through this, it is clear Israel is trying to control Palestine both physically and mentally, and now fear possible punishment for their actions.
Celebrations should not begin anytime soon, for it is a long time before any type of Israeli punishment would be put in place. It will take 2 months alone before Palestine is admitted, and then another several months before a conclusive investigation will take place. However, this act of bravery by President Abbas is definitely a first and will hopefully continue in attempting to charge Israel externally, rather than continuing trying to reach peace. This may be the first step in ending the occupation and freeing Palestine.
Is the start of a movement against Israel and for Palestinian independence? Or is this just another public sham that will result in nothing but more Palestinian embarrassment? Only time will tell.
