RAMALLAH: The second most popular political party in Spain's Pais Vasco (Basque Country) has submitted a motion calling for a boycott against Israeli football team Maccabi. Bildu, a leftist-nationalist party in the northern region of Spain, came into existence after another political party named Sortu was banned by the Spanish Supreme Court due to its ties to the armed wing of the Basque terrorist group ETA. Bildu was also initially banned, but the decision was met with widespread protest. The Spanish Supreme Court later lifted the ban. The translated portion of the motion calling for the boycott of Macabbi reads as follows: On the 9th of January, 2009, during the tragic weeks in which the Israeli army carried out the operation known as “Cast Lead", the Maccabi football club published on its websites a statement supporting the operation and its legitimacy. In the moment the publication ran, three players from the club; Lior Eliyahu, Omri Casspi and Marcus Fizer, visited soldiers of the Israeli army stationed in the coastal strip. The players gave them gifts, signed autographs and chatted in a friendly manner with the soldiers while, at a distance of 300 meters, this same army sprayed the defenseless population of Gaza with white phosphorous. This defense of an act deemed a “crime of war" continues to be visible in its website today. Since then, Maccabi has ostentatiously continued to explicitly support the operation, which is irrefutable evidence of its direct implication in the legitimization of a war crime. Since then, the team has visited the Basque Country on two occasions; the 21st of October, 2010 and the 24th of March, 2011. The 28th of February, the team will play against Baskonia [Basque football team]. During the last encounters between the teams, not only has this ambassador of Israel played with total normality and impunity, but it has also restricted the freedom of expression of citizens seeking entry into the stadium with Palestinian flags or diverse symbols of solidarity with the Palestinian people and the denouncement of the massacre perpetrated by Israel and availed by Maccabi." The statement goes on to demand that Israel comply with the following measures: 1.1 That Israel put an end to the occupation and colonization of Arabic lands and dismantle the illegal wall. 1.2 That Israel recognizes the fundamental right of Arab-Palestinians in Israel to the point of total equality. 1.3 That Israel respect, and favor Palestinian refugees and their Right of Return to the homes and properties as stipulated by United Nations resolution 194. 1.4 That Israel guarantee that those responsible for the crimes catalogued by the rapporteur of the United Nations as war crimes will be held accountable before international courts. 1.5 That Israel complete all of its international obligations and respect the norms of International Law, guaranteeing all the citizens of Israel and the Occupied Territories their human rights. Considering all of this, Bildu Gasteiz raises the following motions to the City Council for its debate and approval: 1. That Gasteiz City Council urges the government team to not cooperate with the realization of this game by not providing the relevant municipal services; 1. The municipal police's collaboration in the organization of the event 2. Urge that the municipality of Tuvisa [the municipality that organizes the event] not put into action the mechanism which organizes games for Baskonia 2. That the City Council urges the Ministry of Interior of the Basque Government to allow, as set out in the Gaming and Entertainment Regulation, free access to the stadium; 3. That the City Council take the necessary steps along with the Ministry of Justice to ensure the freedom of expression of the people and their admittance into the stadium with Palestinian flags and symbols of support for the Palestinian people."
The local government of Tuvisa has yet to take any steps towards realizing the demands of Bildu. A transcript of the original document can be found here. BN Translation by the author
