What Football Means To Israelis, The Power Of Boycotts, Biorhythm Monsters
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Why is this week being called an unprecedented international football week?
It is not war and death
and famine. It's
not that at all. It's the opposite of that. It's to persuade there's a world outside of that. That's why sport's important.
We already knew this is going to be an international football week, unlike anything we'd ever experienced. And just in case we needed reminding, then, the side of the Ireland football manager accepting the support of the Taoiseach over derogatory comments made about him by another country's football association. I think it brought it all into sharp focus. Welcome to your weekly World Service Highlights. Hey Murph. Hey Eoin, how are you? It was Monday night the Israeli FA came out swinging at Hamer, calling him ignorant, hypocritical and stupid over his comments that the Irish football team is not playing with genocide, we are playing against genocide in these games against Israel. By Tuesday, Neil Martin had come out and described what the Israeli FA had said as unacceptable remarks that should be withdrawn.
Then at Wednesday's press conference, Hal Grimson said he was grateful for the support while looking like a man who just desperately wants to get this international window over with. so we cover all that on the world service this week we also wanted to get a broader view on these games against israel so we got in touch with elan pape elan's an israeli historian living in the uk working as a professor with the college of social sciences and international studies at the university of exeter he's best known for his books on the history of palestine in the middle east which challenged the official israeli version of history really interesting guy he's spoken in the past about the power of sporting sanctions in amongst all this
And as, in fact, I argued that one thing that really frightens a lot of Israelis is if Israel was thrown out of international football. We asked him on the podcast to expand on those thoughts.
Well, I think we have a good historical example for the impact that boycotting certain sports during the time of apartheid in South Africa had on the international image of South Africa and on the South African themselves. In a similar way, football... is something that is very popular in Israel. And the connection between Israeli football and European football is one of the connections that lead Israelis to perceive themselves as being part of Europe. as being part of what they would perceive as the civilized world, a kind of an assurance that whatever they're doing, whatever condemnation or criticism there is about the policies towards the Palestinians, this is a firm proof that they are still regarded within the community, if you want, of the civilized nations, or to put it in a more simplistic way, they're still part of the good guys and they do not belong to the best example we have in the European continent.
They're not in the same category as Russia that has been thrown out from all the sport events and tournaments since the invasion of the Ukraine. So it is, for them, I think it's an indication that whatever else has happened in terms of boycott, sanctions, demonstration, this is a firm proof there's still a lot to be said for Israel's more positive standing in the international
community. What if it's just one country going out on its own with a boycott, though? Because obviously the South African situation is an interesting comparison, but it's a little bit different to what we've been talking about in Ireland over the last few months. So say, for example, the head of the Football Association of Ireland, David Carell, says it's not that we don't believe in boycotts. Boycotts are powerful.
How does football shape Israeli identity and its link to Europe?
Unilateral boycotts are ineffective. Collective boycotts are powerful. So his point being that if Ireland goes it alone, which it appears we would be doing, nothing would really be achieved by us not playing these games.
Well, I think it's history shows that usually you need one brave member of the international community and then the rest are following. Even in the case of the general European approach to apartheid South Africa,
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Chapters
6 chapters
1
Why is this week being called an unprecedented international football week?
0:00–4:03
2
How does football shape Israeli identity and its link to Europe?
4:03–10:40
3
What lessons do the South‑Africa apartheid boycotts offer for Israel?
10:40–17:00
4
Why are collective boycotts seen as more effective than unilateral ones?
17:00–21:18
5
How might Israel react if Ireland unilaterally refuses to play the matches?
21:18–24:44
6
What’s driving the chaotic start to the NFL season and the 49ers’ injuries?
24:44–25:52
Speakers
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