Campaigners call for Israel to be excluded from Cardiff netball tournament

Pro-Palestine campaigners are calling for an international netball tournament in Cardiff next month to exclude Israel from the event.

The Europe Netball Open Event, which is scheduled for 7 – 11 May at the House of Sports in Cardiff, will feature teams from France, Gibraltar, Isle of Man, Malta, Switzerland and Israel, alongside the Wales U21 side.

A coalition of groups and individuals from Wales, opposing Israel’s military action in Palestine, has written to Wales Netball asking that they join with them in making a public statement calling for the removal of the Israeli team from the Euro Netball competition and any potential future competitions.

They have also written to Euro Netball to ask them to ban Israel from the competition.

A copy of the letter has been sent to the Welsh Government’s Sports Minister Jack Sargeant MS, and Chair of the Sports Committee in the Senedd, Delyth Jewell MS.

A letter has also been written to Sport Wales, and to the venue that will host the tournament, which is run by Cardiff City FC.

‘Illegal occupation’

Zahid Noor from Palestine Solidarity Cymru (PSC) said: “Hosting Israel’s team sportswashes apartheid, illegal occupation and genocide. Netball Israel includes players from illegal settlements – built on stolen Palestinian land.

“Israel’s leaders have had arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court, and the International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s military conduct in Gaza is plausibly a genocide. Netball cannot be complicit in war crimes.

“The matches must be cancelled, and Israel’s team must be suspended.

“Wales Netball has told us they are not the organisers of the event, and that they will keep a watch on any decision Euro Netball makes, but this is not good enough. They need to remove themselves from this tournament. Nothing about this complies with the Future Generations Act, which these bodies are bound by, and are signed up to supporting.”

The letter goes on to urge the Welsh Government and MSs to “act decisively and without delay” to call for the suspension of the Israeli national netball team.

‘Peace and justice’

Sumayya Ahmed, from the Muslim Association of Britain, Welsh Chapter said: “The people of Wales, ourselves included, are keen to confront and challenge all efforts by Israel to normalise its actions – whether through sports, culture, music, art, science or any other means employed to obscure the reality of this horrific genocide.

“This is a global movement that brings together individuals and organisations from diverse backgrounds, including Israeli human rights advocates, united in their resolute rejection of Israeli apartheid and war crimes. Together, we are striving for peace and justice.”

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: “Plaid Cymru believes that suspension from international sporting competitions is a legitimate way to apply diplomatic pressure to states which violate international humanitarian law. This was the case when organisations such as FIFA, UEFA and the International Olympic Committee suspended Russia from their competitions, following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“Other countries which have previously been suspended from international sporting competitions for breaching human rights include South Africa, Zimbabwe and Afghanistan.

“Given Israel’s refusal to listen to the calls of the international community to protect the human rights and lives of Palestinians in Gaza, it is right that the same process is followed and that Israel’s participation in major international sporting events is reviewed.”