The head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, says that Morocco’s support for the Palestinians during the historic FIFA World Cup matches shows that their struggle is not yet “buried”.
According to the AFP news agency, Morocco, like other Arab countries, had supported the establishment of diplomatic relations with Israel. but Moroccan players have made it clear where their loyalties lie over the decades-old dispute.
On December 6, the Moroccan team hoisted the Palestinian flag at the ground after a historic victory against Spain and qualification for the quarter-finals.
Moroccan players were also seen posting on social media in favor of Palestine during the tournament.
The success of Morocco, the first Arab country to reach the semi-finals of the Football World Cup, was celebrated like other Arab countries in the occupied West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem.
The owner of a sports store in the Palestinian city of Ramallah said that Palestinians have an undying passion for the Moroccan team and that all the jerseys he had were sold.
“If I had 300,000 jerseys, they would be sold in two days.”
The head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, says the passion of Moroccan players shows their support for the Palestinian cause, regardless of what Arab leaders decide.
Jibril Rajoub, who is also the secretary general of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah party, says that the World Cup also revealed the lie that the struggle of the Palestinians has been buried after the agreements to restore relations.
He said that Morocco’s sentiment and solidarity with the Palestinians in Qatar is actually (along with Israel’s) equivalent to “slapping the idea of normalization”.
According to the Palestinian Senator for Policy and Survey Research, a large number of Palestinians believe that the solidarity shown by fans during football matches has restored their confidence.
Hazem Qassem, the spokesman of Hamas, the ruling party in Gaza, said that the importance of the Palestinian struggle at the global level has been confirmed by the Football World Cup.