January 20 – Taking a leaf out of US president Donald Trump’s international diplomacy model, pro-Palestine supporters aim to bring pressure on UEFA to suspend the Israeli Football Association (IFA) by hitting the confederation where they believe it hurts most – at the bank.

Today (Tuesday) Swiss local parliamentarians in the Canton of Vaud will vote on revoking UEFA’s tax exemption. UEFA’s headquarters in Nyon are within the Vaud canton.

The argument behind the resolution is that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Israel is illegally occupying Palestinian land in the West Bank. The IFA has teams in the West Bank  and has membership of UEFA who benefit from tax advantages in Switzerland. Ergo, by UEFA not paying tax in Switzerland, Swiss citizens in Vaud are funding the IFA’s illegal activities.

The wording of the resolution states:

“As an international federation, it [UEFA] has long benefited, despite its significant commercial activity, from a tax exemption granted specifically because international sports federations play an important role in promoting peace and combating racism and discrimination.

“UEFA has long placed these concerns at the heart of its decisions. Its commitment to peace, for example, was among the motivations cited in support of sanctions adopted by the organisation following Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. However, it is clear that this objective is not being pursued today.”

If the resolution is passed the next stage will be for the Vaud government to set a deadline to UEFA to argue justification for not sanctioning the IFA. Promoting peace and fighting racism and discrimination is a condition to tax exoneration. This could in turn lead to administrative proceedings to withhold or change the conditions of the tax exoneration. UEFA would have the right to appeal any decision in court.

“While the State of Israel has announced its intention to suspend access to Gaza for more than thirty international NGOs, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Israel also approved the creation of 19 new settlements at the end of December. By persisting in its failure to react and continuing to recognise clubs located in illegally occupied territories, UEFA is sending a signal that it condones these actions. Football deserves better than that,” said Théophile Schenker, Member of the Cantonal Parliament of Canton Vaud.

The Geneva Conventions – international humanitarian law establishing rules for humane treatment during armed conflict– were founded in Switzerland which as a nation values its neutrality and reputation highly. While there is little doubt the Israelis have continually broken the conventions and continue to do so, the question is whether taking the fight to UEFA is in fact breaking their own neutrality by bringing economic pressure on an international institution (in this case UEFA) to bring about a political outcome.

The next step for the Vaud politicians is presumably to bring the same pressure on the Olympic movement and the nearly 60 international sports federations and organisations that are headquartered in and around Lausanne that is also in the Swiss Canton.

A follow up might also be to exert pressure similarly on the Canton of Zurich where FIFA is headquartered.

“Swiss authorities should know that their international reputation as depositary of the Geneva Conventions, a leading proponent of humanitarian law, and host of the UN human rights office, is itself on trial in this process,” said Craig Mokhiber, International Human Rights Lawyers and former UN Human Rights Director.

“UEFA has no right to receive a tax status reserved for sporting and cultural organizations that ‘promote peace’ internationally until their complicity in such crimes against humanity has ended.”

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