(Australian Jewish News) Alex Ryvchin - The documentary "Pitch Battle" chronicles the journey of the Palestine football team to the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia. Amr Hannoun, the team's media officer, has a jovial disposition and radiant smile. But soon Hannoun reveals his true nature. He defends suicide bombings against Israeli civilians. "We have to kill them," he flashes. "We need our land back from the river to the sea," Hannoun insists. He demands all of the land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, meaning the annihilation of Israel. No Jewish State in any borders. The other leading man in the film is the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub. FIFA must expel Israel, he tells the media. Israelis mustn't be allowed to play soccer with other countries. It is not enough for the Palestinians to achieve full-member status in FIFA. They demand Israel's expulsion. The Palestinian cause fails again and again to achieve its goals because it is predicated on destruction rather than creation, on denying the rights of others rather than establishing rights for themselves. The writer is public affairs director of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry.
2015-04-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive