Football players standing in front of the separation wall

Palestine: Women’s football under siege

Eleven women from Britain and Germany travelled to the occupied Palestinian territory of the West Bank in October on a tour of friendship, solidarity and football.

The promise of participants in the “Freedom Through Football” tour was to share with the wider world the truth of life in Palestine. In particular, it was to highlight the story of women who play football in a country where football for women is far from a cultural norm.

This recent tour is part of our growing story of friendship and solidarity between the teams Republica Internationale (from Leeds in Britain) and the Easton Cowgirls and Cowboys (from Bristol) with Palestine. Our players have been travelling to the West Bank since 2007, with the women’s teams most recently visiting in 2014 and producing the Balls, Barriers and Bulldozers film.

Heading back to the West Bank this year, we were joined by friends from Frau Dortebecker (from Hamburg, Germany). We wanted to use a shared love of the beautiful game to show solidarity with those living under occupation.

 

Read the full article by Kate Hadley at Green Left Weekly.