With Europe's most talented young footballers preparing for the kick-off of the under-21 championships on Wednesday, Israelis are celebrating the biggest footballing coup in their history.
But the decision to host the high-profile event in Israel has fuelled criticism of European football's governing body, UEFA, from a coalition of global statesmen, Palestinian leaders, international footballers and human rights activists.
This past weekend, Israel’s national team faced off against Honduras here in New York City, and fittingly, local boycott champions Adalah-NY had acquired tickets, determined to throw, at least, a fleeting light on Israel’s occupation, apartheid policies, and ethnic cleansing.
Human rights advocates from Adalah-NY carried out a demonstration at the exhibition game between the Israeli and Honduran national soccer teams at New York City’s Citi Field today to call attention to the continued apartheid policies of the Israeli state.
