By Ori Lewis
JERUSALEM – FIFA chief Sepp Blatter, visiting the Middle East to try to persuade the Palestine FA (PFA) to drop a proposal to suspend Israel from the world body, on Tuesday proposed a peace match between their national teams.
Blatter appeared at a news conference in Jerusalem after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and said he was “on a mission of peace”. He meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestine FA chief Jibril Rajoub on Wednesday.
The PFA accuses Israel of hampering its activities and
restricting the movement of players between the Gaza Strip and
the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
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Israel cites security concerns for the restrictions it imposes.
Although Blatter declined to detail what was said in his meeting with Netanyahu and Israeli FA chairman Ofer Eini concerning the Palestinian agenda item at the FIFA Congress on May 29, he said he could reveal his plan for a “peace match”.
“One item I can tell you that I spoke about with (Netanyahu)… to arrange a match for peace between the national teams of Israel and Palestine and FIFA would be happy to organise it,” Blatter said.
(Reuters)