Politics and sport should be kept separate. But the Israelis clearly didn’t get that memo. Next week, Palestine’s football team will make history when it takes on the UAE in a World Cup qualifier – in the West Bank itself.
Although Palestine’s team has played World Cup qualifiers before, it has never played on home soil. That they will play in the West Bank represents a significant victory in the international movement to pressure Israel over its occupation.
For years, Israel has overtly and covertly hindered the development of Palestinian football. When, ahead of the 2006 World Cup, Palestine topped its qualifying group, Israel refused to allow most of the team members to travel. Denial of travel permits – due to Israel’s continued occupation of the West Bank and Gaza – has been used repeatedly to scupper the team’s chances.
Such overt interference is coupled with the general horrors of the occupation. Football stadiums have been repeatedly bombed by Israel, players have been arrested and held without charge or trial, others have been shot or killed simply because they were Palestinian. In Gaza, the years-long blockade means sports people can’t access the right type of food or the latest training facilities. So much for keeping politics and sport separate.
It was for all of those reasons that the international campaign to kick Israel out of Fifa began and rapidly gained worldwide traction. Indeed, this match would not have come about without it. It was only in May, in a bid to head off his country’s expulsion, that Israel’s prime minister agreed to facilitate travel for Palestinian players and a new joint football committee was agreed.
This match, then, is a test for Israel’s commitment to adhere to international agreements. Will Israel allow all the Palestinian players in Gaza to travel? Will last-minute “security” reasons mean some are held up? Unsurprisingly, anyone who has followed Israel’s cruel and duplicitous policies towards the Palestinians will be expecting the worst. If it goes ahead without a hitch, the match will hopefully be the beginning of a more positive relationship between Israel and the outside world, where politics really is kept out of sport.
Sukuk explained
Sukuk are Sharia-compliant financial certificates issued by governments, corporates and other entities. While as an asset class they resemble conventional bonds, there are some significant differences. As interest is prohibited under Sharia, sukuk must contain an underlying transaction, for example a leaseback agreement, and the income that is paid to investors is generated by the underlying asset. Investors must also be prepared to share in both the profits and losses of an enterprise. Nevertheless, sukuk are similar to conventional bonds in that they provide regular payments, and are considered less risky than equities. Most investors would not buy sukuk directly due to high minimum subscriptions, but invest via funds.
How to donate
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Final results:
Open men
Australia 94 (4) beat New Zealand 48 (0)
Plate men
England 85 (3) beat India 81 (1)
Open women
Australia 121 (4) beat South Africa 52 (0)
Under 22 men
Australia 68 (2) beat New Zealand 66 (2)
Under 22 women
Australia 92 (3) beat New Zealand 54 (1)
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Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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