Palestine

Palestine comprises the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, with a combined population of approximately 5.4 million (Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics). The Palestinian Authority administers most civilian affairs in the West Bank under the Oslo Accords; Gaza has been governed by Hamas since 2007. The Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) retains international recognition as the official representative of the Palestinian people. Palestine has been a UN General Assembly observer state since 2012 and is recognised by 145+ states, though not by Israel or the United States. Palestinians form one of the largest diaspora populations in the world, with an estimated 400,000 in the UAE alone.

In the context of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) filed a formal appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport on approximately 20 April 2026, challenging FIFA's decision not to suspend the Israeli Football Association or expel Israeli clubs based in occupied West Bank settlements . FIFA had fined the IFA approximately $191,000, with proceeds partly redirected to anti-discrimination programmes. At the 76th FIFA Congress in Vancouver on 30 April 2026, Palestinian FA president Jibril Rajoub declined to shake hands with Israeli FA vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman on the Congress stage, publicly asking whether Infantino understood 'the deep suffering of the Palestinian people' .

Palestine has been a FIFA member since 1998, giving the PFA standing to challenge IFA conduct through FIFA and CAS mechanisms. The Gaza conflict and the PFA's legal campaign sit at the intersection of international sporting governance and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, making Palestine one of the most politically charged entities in Lowdown's coverage across multiple topics including the Iran conflict, UK elections, and the World Cup.