The governing body for football in the Republic of Ireland has voted to urge Uefa to suspend Israel and its club teams from European competitions.
At a meeting on Saturday, members of the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) approved the resolution by 74 votes to seven, with two abstentions.
The motion calls on Uefa to impose a ban on Israel over the Jewish state’s alleged failure to halt Israeli clubs from playing in towns in the West Bank without the consent of the Palestinian FA.
The resolution, proposed by the Dublin club Bohemians, one of Ireland’s leading clubs, cites two allegations of violations of Uefa statutes, as interpreted by FAI.
The first is on combating racism effectively and the other on not obtaining the Palestinian Authority’s authorisation for establishing football clubs in towns in the West Bank.
It follows similar appeals in September by football authorities in Turkey and Norway for Israel to be suspended from international competition.
Uefa had begun discussing a possible ban earlier this year but talks ended after the US-brokered ceasefire that took effect on October 10. The United States is a co-host for the 2026 World Cup, alongside Canada and Mexico, and strongly opposes boycotts on Israel.
Israel has accused Dublin of singling out the Jewish state and aligning with extremist narratives, as bilateral relations have grown increasingly strained since the October 7 terror attacks.
In December, Israel closed its embassy in Dublin, accusing Ireland of double standards and dehumanising Israelis. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the time denounced former Irish President Michael D Higgins as an “antisemitic liar” after Higgins criticised Israeli actions during a Holocaust Remembrance Day speech.
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