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.

A performance last month by the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra was met with protests from Adalah-NY, who urged Carnegie Hall to cancel the orchestra’s appearance in response to the Palestinians’ call for a cultural boycott of the Israeli “apartheid state” that – in their perspective – is occupying Arab land, building settlements, and repressing Palestinians. Zubin Mehta, the Philharmonic’s musical director, summed up the boycott by saying, “As long as they keep building settlements the world will be anti-Israeli.”

Wherever the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra goes, protests seem to follow. Concert-goers planning to attend Tuesday's performance by the orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall can expect to see a colorful outdoor demonstration of activists who say they oppose Israel's policies toward Palestinians.

One performance will be inside, by the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO), and the other will take place outside the entrances to Disney Hall.

The IPO performs internationally as a cultural ambassador for Israel.  Local protesters want to use the orchestra’s visit to Los Angeles to bring attention to what they call Israel’s oppression of Palestinians.