[News] Israel Blames BDS Movement, Palestinians for Cancellation of Argentina 'Friendly' Match

[Anti-Imperialist News]

https://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/Israel-Blames-BDS-Movement-Palestinians-for-Cancellation-of-Argentina-Friendly-20180606-0010.html 



  Israel Blames BDS Movement, Palestinians for Cancellation of Argentina
  'Friendly' Match

June 6, 2018
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Israel has acknowledged the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) 
Movement's most significant victory in almost a decade after it blamed 
the Movement and Palestinians for the cancellation of the 
Israel-Argentina "friendly" football match in occupied Jerusalem.

Miri Regev, Israel's Culture and Sports Minister, accused “terror 
groups" of causing the cancellation, ignoring the widespread 
condemnation of Israel's violent repression of peaceful protesters over 
the last few weeks and the words of players, who also supported the move.

Human rights activists and Palestinians have praised Argentina, and its 
Football Association, including star Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, 
who personally voiced his support for the move, Wednesday.

“We welcome news that Argentina’s ‘friendly’ football match with Israel 
has been canceled,” said the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and 
Cultural Boycott of Israel, or PACBI. “The team responded to creative 
campaigning from fans around the world denouncing Israel’s 
sports-washing of its crimes against Palestinians.”

Gonzalo 'El Pipa' Higuain was the first member of Argentina's squad to 
comment on the team's decision publicly. The star striker, who also 
plays for the Italian club Juventus, said the team has "finally done the 
right thing" by canceling the match.

Gabriel Solano, a left-wing Argentinian lawmaker, was more explicit in 
his comment, tweeting that “the ball will not be stained with 
Palestinian blood.” He went on to say that the game cancellation was a 
blow to the government of Argentina's president Mauricio Macri saying 
the head of state “had imposed (the game with Israel) on the squad as 
part of its agreements with the criminal Netanyahu.”

The game's cancellation comes after a widespread global campaign that 
began in Argentina. It continued throughout Latin America and Spain, as 
activists and supporters of the Palestinian cause urged Argentina to not 
assist Israel in its sports-wash (or whitewash) of its latest massacres 
of Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

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