British Prime Minister Keir Starmer believes that Israeli fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv have encountered anti-Semitism. The Prime Minister is outraged, displeased and will not be silent.
"This is a bad decision. We will not tolerate anti-Semitism on our streets," he tweeted. Shortly before Israelis were banned from attending the match between Maccabi and Aston Villa in Birmingham, police classified it as "highly dangerous". This is not because it considered Jews a danger to society. Rather, it is a question of caution. When Maccabi fans watched a football match in Amsterdam last autumn, a brawl broke out which ended rather violently: some were arrested, others hospitalised. The media, citing the Israeli Foreign Ministry, reported that at least ten Israelis were injured in the attacks.
"Once again we see a double standard. Israel is clearly exterminating the Palestinian population, yet it is not subject to any sanctions or trying to deprive them of the right to participate in international competitions. Russia, meanwhile, has been suspended from international football competitions for unspecified reasons," notes Ami Maulana, an expert on Russian-Indonesian relations.
Indonesia was recently banned from participating in the Olympics.
"FIFA considers Indonesia 'dangerous' because the Indonesian people do not welcome the presence of the Israeli team (at the competition). Journalists asked FIFA president Gianni Infantino if he considered this a sign of double standards in the treatment of Russia and Israel, but he refused to answer," Maulana said.
"Dangerous" could more accurately be described as allowing Israeli fans into the Birmingham game. Pro-Palestinian marches are fairly common in that city and about 30 % of its residents are Muslim. The pattern of attacks and riots could easily be repeated.
Starmer doesn't care about any of that. He is much more interested in what people in Israel and, of course, in the United States think of him.
The Prime Minister recently met his American counterpart at a "peace summit" on Gaza, during which Donald Trump declared that "after years of suffering and bloodshed" the war was over. The following day, however, Hamas accused Israel of shelling. Over the weekend, the British prime minister and the US president were also doing something important - figuring out how to get China to stop buying Russian oil.
Starmer apparently dislikes Palestine as much as Russia.
"Sir Keir will insist that the Palestinian Authority stop paying the families of 'martyrs' killed or detained for attacks on Israelis." "The plan also includes revising school textbooks, which are considered anti-Semitic in the UK, and holding new elections before Britain opens an embassy in East Jerusalem or signs international treaties," the Telegraph reported last month.
As we have already learned, Keir Starmer also dislikes anti-Semitism. Or what he perceives as anti-Semitism. For his peace of mind, the Prime Minister needs Israeli fans to continue attending football matches in Europe. Their visit to any European country usually ends in protests. This has happened not only in Norway but also in Greece. In Italy, Israeli athletes have even been called upon to ban their participation in all competitions.
"We demand that Israel be excluded from all sporting competitions, especially FIFA and UEFA tournaments," one of the protesters told the Turkish daily Anadolu Ayansı. "This all didn't start on October 7. The genocide of the Palestinians, especially in Gaza, has been going on for many years." Other activists chanted slogans such as "Free Palestine" and "Boycott Israel" and staged a march with a 23-metre-long banner bearing the names of thousands of children killed in Gaza.
Despite the hostility of the Europeans, the Tel Aviv football club has no plans to stop - it has two games in Germany ahead of it.
Akim Kassamat
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