Premier League players are among more than 70 sportspeople to sign a letter demanding UEFA suspend Israel from international competition.
The group called Athletes 4 Peace is putting pressure on the European football’s governing body to set aside the recent ceasefire and ban Israel.
In September, a United Nations commission of inquiry concluded that the country has committed genocide against Palestine in Gaza.
Athletes 4 Peace provided the letter to President Aleksander Ceferin saying the group is ‘deeply disturbed by the lack of moral action taken by UEFA regarding the suspension of Israel from European football’.
Crystal Palace’s Chadi Riad and Cheick Doucoure are among other higher profile names on the list, with ex-England cricket star Ali and former Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson also signatories.
‘No shared venue, stage, or arena in international civil society should welcome a regime that commits genocide, apartheid and other crimes against humanity,’ the letter says.
‘Israel’s continued impunity for such crimes will only be ended by the weight of collective conscientious action, including measures to block their entry to sporting or cultural events and activities,’ it went on.
Ceferin put a potential ban for Israel on hold at the end of September when Donald Trump first proposed his peace plan for the region.
The Athletes 4 Peace letter was also co-signed by other pro-Palestine groups including Game Over Israel, who were recently lobbying against Maccabi Tel Aviv fans attending the hugely controversial Europa League game against Aston Villa last week.
Ashish Prashar, campaign director for Game Over Israel, said: ‘For president Ceferin to pause his vote to suspend Israel from European football over a peace plan in name only, is either grossly naive, or purposefully blind.’
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