October 15th, 2023: This Week in Palestinian Football

Some football things happened in a week when far more important things happened.

Allow me first to apologize to my paid subscribers and readers for not putting out my usual weekly video this past Wednesday. I found it in bad taste to put out a video in the midst of all the suffering and I thought that posting material would take attention away from what is happening in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine.

Please be sure to donate to UNRWA, the PCRF, or Medical Aid for the Palestinians. If there is a demonstration in your area- attend it. Little individual actions add up.

We could talk about Mahmoud Eid leading Bangkok United to victory in Thailand the day before the international break. Or about Saleh Chihadeh scoring in SC Kriens’s 4-1 loss. These things all seem quite trivial now.

This week saw truly remarkable defiance in the face of horrific oppression and brutality. Footballers and fans from all five continents have made their feelings known (check out our Twitter Account for more). There remains a glimmer of hope that we will not witness a complete genocide because of the bravery of countless principled individuals who have fought back against the narrative.

A Modern Day Lazarus in Gaza

In Gaza itself, we saw Hazem Alrekhawi do the impossible again. Any other 34 year old footballer should not have to list escaping death twice on his CV. For Alrekhawi, after rising to promnience in Palestine’s youth national teams and breaking into Shabab Rafah’s first team he had to survive Operation Iron Lead in 2008.

He was persumed dead after a strike on December 27th, 2008. Elrekhawi had finished his studies at the Al-Ghuth Institute and got onto a bus along with his classmates to make the trip from Gaza City to the southern city of Rafah.

Moments after starting their trip, a missile fired from an F-16 struck the bus killing nine of Elrekhawi’s friends. Elrekhawi’s body was torn up with shrapnel and he was pronounced dead at the hospital and placed in the morgue’s fridge.

Except Elrekhawi was not dead. He spent five hours amongst cadavers in a Gaza hospital until a mother looking for her son noticed his hand moving.

In the immediate aftermath it looked doubtful that Elrekhawi could actually continue his career as a footballer but remarkably he did just that. In 2012, he embarked on a ten year career that saw him become a fixture of eight clubs in the West Bank Premier League. Elrekhawi played for Shabab Al-Dhahrieh, Ahli Al-Khaleel, Merkaz Balata, Shabab Dora, Shabab Al-Samu’ and Taraji Wadi Al-Nes.

The defender made the decision to return home at the beginning of this season rejoining his hometown club, Shabab Rafah. He did not expect to have to an endure the trauma of 15 years ago all over again.

Images of the defender appeared Friday bloodied and wearing a pair of football shorts being helped from the rubble of his home.

PFA pushing to host WCQ in Algeria

It is not official yet but the Palestine Football Association and their Algerian counterparts have a deal in place for Palestine to host their World Cup Qualifiers in Algeria. The deal will be subject to the approval of the Asian Football Confederation who might in turn ask the teams in Palestine’s group- Australia, Lebanon, and the winner of Bangladesh vs. Maldives if they would object to playing outside the Asian confederation.

Should the PFA be successful in its appeal to the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA it would be a massive coup as Palestine would gain the support of a vociferous crowd that would support the team in larger numbers than one in Jerusalem or Hebron would.