Palestine: From a penalty kick to the awakening of conscience

Arab News

16 hours ago

https://arab.news/5ehjr
Palestine on Tuesday came within a hair's breadth of reaching the Asian playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — only to be denied in the final seconds of their last qualifying match by a penalty kick. On the surface, it was a simple sporting moment. But at its core, it reflects the story of an entire people who have long been subjected to suffering — not because of any fault of their own, but because the scales of the world have never been fair to them.
This moment takes us back to the year 1934, when Palestine — under its own name — lost to Egypt in the qualifiers for the second World Cup held in Italy, more than a decade before the establishment of Israel. The point here is that Palestine existed, was active and carried its sporting, cultural and political identity to the world. Today, it returns to the arena, still fighting — not only for sporting goals but for the right to exist and to live in dignity.
However, the Palestinian cause has never been confined to a single field or arena. It is the story of a people displaced from their land and of a nation whose rights have long been violated amid prolonged global bias. Today, this suffering can no longer be reduced to images or news reports — it demands a direct call to the conscience of humanity.
Human justice urgently requires an honest and impartial stance from every human being on Earth to stop the brutal and unjust war in Gaza and the repeated assaults and invasions of cities in the West Bank. Regardless of Oct. 7, which has been used by the current Israeli government as a pretext to justify mass killings and forced displacement in the form of ethnic cleansing, what is happening now has surpassed all boundaries of logic and humanity. Tens of thousands of innocent people have been killed and tens of thousands more have been injured, displaced or uprooted in a scene that cannot be justified under any circumstances.
Palestinian suffering cannot be reduced to images or news reports — it demands a direct call to the conscience of humanity
Dya-Eddine Said Bamakhrama
What is happening in Gaza is no longer a conflict, it is a collapse of human values. We see the dead, the wounded, the thirsty and the hungry — children and adults, men and women — all of them innocent and defenseless. This calls for an immediate and comprehensive end to this senseless war, to save the remaining lives and prevent any further collapse of a tragedy whose origins did not begin on Oct. 7 but stretch back through decades of suffering.
In this context, courageous positions by some of the nation's leaders stand out, reminding us that Palestine remains at the heart of Arab and Islamic conscience. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman affirmed in his speech to official Hajj guests the Kingdom's unwavering support for the Palestinian people's rights. He said: 'We reaffirm the importance of the international community's role in ending the disastrous consequences of this aggression, protecting innocent civilians, and working toward a new reality in which Palestine can enjoy peace in accordance with international legitimacy and relevant resolutions.'
Similarly, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti, in his Eid Al-Adha message, reiterated his country's principled and firm stance in support of the Palestinian cause, affirming that this support will remain a cornerstone of Djibouti's foreign policy until the Palestinian people attain their right to self-determination through the establishment of an independent state.
These two stances are not alone. There are many others that represent a genuine call to the world's conscience. Palestine is not asking for charity or momentary sympathy — it is demanding its legitimate rights and a response rooted in humanity before politics.
From the pitch to the podium, from speeches to reality, Palestine remains the ultimate test of global conscience. Will the world pass this test — or will it write another chapter of betrayal?
Palestine remains the ultimate test of global conscience. Will the world pass this test or write another chapter of betrayal?
Dya-Eddine Said Bamakhrama
Today, human justice demands the restoration of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights, the establishment of their state and an end to a humanitarian tragedy unmatched in modern history.
Recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people and the establishment of their independent state on their national soil, with East Jerusalem as its capital, is the demand of all people of conscience. Living in peace in the Middle East and achieving development, security and dignity for all peoples without exception — including both Palestinians and Israelis — is a demand of the human conscience. And this can only be achieved through a just, comprehensive and lasting peace.
The Arabs have offered numerous initiatives to end the Middle East conflict — the latest being the Arab Peace Initiative, which is based on land for peace and mutual recognition. Originally a Saudi proposal, it was unanimously supported by the Arab world and endorsed by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the second-largest international organization globally. But Israel has not engaged with this initiative or offered any alternatives.
So, today we call upon the conscience of humanity: do not delay in supporting peace and justice before it is too late. Recognition of the Palestinian state and a two-state solution — today, not tomorrow — is an urgent path toward reviving the human conscience: a decisive penalty kick that ends the conflict and ushers in a new era of peace — driven by the awakening of a just global conscience.
• Dya-Eddine Said Bamakhrama is Ambassador of the Republic of Djibouti and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.