Israeli FA to charge Palestinian club over chants against banned extremist Kahane Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Thu, 01/08/2026 - 13:07 Decision draws backlash as critics say authorities punish anti-extremism while tolerating anti-Palestinian and Islamophobic abuse in football stadiums A man holds the flag of banned Israeli party Kach, in demonstration in Paris on 13 February 2014 (Michael Bunel via Reuters) Off The Israeli Football Association (IFA) has said it will take legal action against a Palestinian football club after its fans chanted against Meir Kahane, an ultra-nationalist Jewish supremacist. Supporters of Bnei Sakhnin, the most successful club led by Palestinian citizens of Israel, chanted “Kahane is dead” during a league match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva on Saturday. In his report, the match official said Bnei Sakhnin fans chanted: “Kahane is dead, he doesn’t exist, may he burn in hell,” towards the end of the game. On Tuesday, the IFA’s prosecutor announced that the club would face charges in the association’s disciplinary court over what it described as “racist and/or offensive chants” by supporters, according to Haaretz . “It is exactly the same as standing trial for ‘Muhammad is dead’ chants,” the Football Association told Haaretz, referring to a common anti-Muslim chant used by some ultranationalist Israeli fans in football stadiums. “If the prosecutor believes that the chant is offensive, he is allowed to prosecute,” the association added, comparing chants against the prophet of Islam with chants referring to the former leader of a banned militant group. Kahane founded the far-right Israeli political party Kach in 1972 and the US-based Jewish Defence League in 1968. Both organisations have been designated terrorist groups in several countries, including Israel and the United States. Kahane promoted a violent, anti-Arab ideology advocating the transformation of Israel into a theocratic state in which non-Jews would be expelled or stripped of civil and voting rights. Kach was barred from participating in Israeli elections in 1988 and banned outright in 1994 following the Ibrahimi Mosque massacre, in which a Kahane supporter killed 29 Palestinian worshippers in Hebron. Kahane was assassinated in Brooklyn, New York, in 1990. 'Moral and ethical stain' Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian member of Israel’s parliament and leader of the Ta’al party, said he was surprised by the IFA’s decision. “I was stunned. Kahane was outlawed, and so was the Kach movement,” Tibi told Middle East Eye. “Chanting ‘Kahane is dead’ is not incitement,” added Tibi, a long-time supporter of Bnei Sakhnin. 'According to the association, is Kahane the prophet of the Jews?' - Ahmad Tibi, a Palestinian member of Israel’s parliament He described the comparison between the chants “Kahane is dead” and “Muhammad is dead” as “a moral and ethical stain on the Football Association”. “According to the association, is Kahane the prophet of the Jews?” Tibi asked. “The chant ‘Muhammad is dead’ is an Islamophobic chant,” he added. On Wednesday, the Football Association’s disciplinary court decided to issue a warning to Bnei Sakhnin over its fans’ behaviour during Saturday’s match. Amal Oraby, a Palestinian human rights lawyer, criticised the ruling, saying it reflected a broader double standard. “It is strange what is happening with the Football Association,” Oraby told MEE. “For them, ‘may your village burn’ is not considered a racist chant,” she said, referring to another common chant used by ultranationalist Israelis and directed at Palestinians. She said public institutions show tolerance towards extremist sentiment and normalise Kahanist ideology. “We are witnessing the consequences of the genocide in Gaza,” Oraby added, referring to what she described as a growing racist discourse in Israel. Football Association inaction Last month, the Football Association introduced tougher penalties for racist offences, including the possibility of league demotion. The association acknowledged that the move followed pressure from Fifa after a complaint filed by the Palestinian Football Association. During a match last month between Bnei Sakhnin and Beitar Jerusalem at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, Beitar supporters chanted “death to Arabs”, “I hate all Arabs”, and “Muhammad is dead”. Beitar was fined 100,000 shekels (around $31,500) by the Football Association and banned from bringing fans to one away match. Uefa members 'favour' suspending Israel from European football Read More » During the game, Beitar supporters also displayed the flag of the banned Kach movement, though the club was not punished for that. After the match, a Bnei Sakhnin official told Israeli sports website One that he had expected the referee to stop the game, but that play continued. “If this continues, there will be a murder in football,” he said. Beitar, which is publicly supported by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, is widely known for its far right associations and its longstanding policy of not employing Arab or Muslim players. Tibi said racist chants are heard at almost every Beitar Jerusalem match. “We contacted Fifa on this matter because the association is not tackling the phenomenon of racism and is enabling racism against Arabs and Muslims in Israel,” he said. “Beitar is the most racist team in Israel,” Tibi added. “Yet the association chooses inaction. "I think Fifa needs to intervene, because Beitar is one of the most racist teams in the world." Oraby said Beitar Jerusalem was being “embraced by the state”, adding that nationalist sentiment had become normalised in Israeli society. “The public doesn’t see anything wrong with that,” she said. Growing racist abuses According to Kicking Racism and Violence Out of the Stands, an Israeli programme that monitors racist incidents in football, 367 racist chants and calls were recorded during matches in Israel last season. The figure represents an increase of more than 60 percent compared with the previous season. Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv accounted for the highest number of incidents, with 115 and 117 cases, respectively. Maccabi Tel Aviv was recently fined by Uefa after its supporters chanted anti-Arab slogans during a match in Stuttgart, Germany. 'There is an attempt to narrow the cultural space available to Palestinians in Israel' - Amal Oraby, Palestinian human rights lawyer So far this season, the upward trend has continued, with 130 racist incidents recorded. Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv again lead the table, accounting for more than 90 incidents combined. Oraby said sport has become increasingly nationalist in Israeli society, reflecting what she described as a broader attack on Palestinian presence inside Israel. “There is an attempt to narrow the cultural space available to Palestinians in Israel, and sport is one of the few areas where some space remains,” she said. “This is an attempt to limit Palestinians’ place in sport.” Tibi said the chants reflect a broader shift towards the far right in Israel, with growing hostility towards the Palestinian population in Israel since 7 October. “This Knesset is Kahanist, and so is the government,” he said. “It is an infectious disease that is spreading to sports institutions, not only football stadiums.” Inside Israel Tel Aviv, Israel News Post Date Override 0 Update Date Mon, 05/04/2020 - 21:19 Update Date Override 0