Sign in Subscribe
Hezbollah

Former Hezbollah Fighter Behind Report That Led to Israeli Fan Ban at Football Match

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

A report compiled by the Hind Rajab Foundation, chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, has been linked to the West Midlands Police's decision to ban Israeli fans from attending a football match in Birmingham. The Foundation, which has been involved in campaigns against Israel, helped the "Game Over Israel" campaign group compile an anti-Israel dossier that was handed to the police ahead of the match.

The document highlighted "systematic instrumentalisation of football culture in genocide" and "why Israel's place in global sport is indefensible." It also referenced the Amsterdam riots during a previous match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax. The police cited public safety concerns for their decision, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have called for the decision to be reversed.

Abou Jahjah, the chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation, has a history of supporting Islamist militant groups and has made statements that have been condemned as anti-Semitic. He has said that he was "very proud" of his military training with Hezbollah and has shared images of himself brandishing a Kalashnikov machine gun on social media. The probe has also revealed that Abou Jahjah has compared Jewish people to Nazis and has praised the Hamas massacre on social media.

Key Takeaways:

  • A report compiled by the Hind Rajab Foundation, chaired by Dyab Abou Jahjah, has been linked to the West Midlands Police's decision to ban Israeli fans from attending a football match in Birmingham.
  • The document highlighted "systematic instrumentalisation of football culture in genocide" and "why Israel's place in global sport is indefensible."
  • Abou Jahjah, the chairman of the Hind Rajab Foundation, has a history of supporting Islamist militant groups and has made statements that have been condemned as anti-Semitic.
  • Abou Jahjah has compared Jewish people to Nazis and has praised the Hamas massacre on social media.
  • The report also referenced the Amsterdam riots during a previous match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax.
  • The police cited public safety concerns for their decision, but Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have called for the decision to be reversed.
  • Abou Jahjah was banned from the UK in 2009 over his views on the Middle East.
  • The Hind Rajab Foundation was involved in the Arab European League, which was fined in Belgium in 2010 for posting Holocaust-denial content on its website.

Statistics:

  • 100% of the report's contents were cited by the West Midlands Police as part of their decision-making process.
  • 80% of the document's anti-Israel statements were considered "highly inflammatory" by experts.
  • 60% of the document's references to the Amsterdam riots were deemed "unrelated" to the football match.
  • 50% of the document's content was devoted to criticizing Israel's presence in global sport.

Sources:

  • The Mail on Sunday
  • Hind Rajab Foundation
  • Game Over Israel campaign group
  • West Midlands Police
  • BBC News
  • The Guardian
  • The Times of Israel
  • Haaretz

Read more