Dear FIDAL

We are writing to you from the No Academic Business As Usual with Ariel University campaign in regards to your IV National Convention of Athletics Technicians, to be held in Ancona, Italy, 4-6 April 2025.

We note that the program of the convention is in contrast with the legal requirements of the July 2024 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The ICJ found that Israel is violating the prohibition against apartheid and that its military occupation of the Palestinian West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza is illegal. The ruling triggers the legal obligation not to recognize, aid or assist in maintaining Israel’s illegal military presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The program of the Convention includes a speaker whose affiliation is listed as “Università Di Ariel (Israele).”

Ariel University is not located in Israel. Ariel University is located in the illegal Israeli settlement of Ariel in the occupied Palestinian territory. Israeli settlements constitute a war crime under the Fourth Geneva Convention and the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

In accordance with international law, UN Security Council resolutions, and the ICJ ruling and the legal requirements above, FIDAL must not recognize Ariel University, whether directly or indirectly, and exclude it from participation in all its activities. 

In addition, the ICJ has also ruled that Israeli is plausibly committing genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza. 

The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Israeli leaders on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity perpetrated against Palestinians in Gaza, alongside the ICJ’s ongoing genocide case. 

In light of the above, it is incumbent upon FIDAL, as the Convention organizer, to perform due diligence on invited speakers, who are reasonably suspected of aiding, assisting, or conspiring in the commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide or of involvement in public incitement to commit war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide.

FIDAL must ensure that its engagement with such persons does nothing to maintain, expand, or recognize Israel’s settlements and its continued unlawful presence in the OPT or other international crimes or it will be held publicly accountable for condoning and supporting violations of international law (including war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide) and for failing to meet its own obligations not to recognize or in any way assist such violations. 

If an academic insists on using Ariel University as their affiliation, FIDAL must, at the very least, modify all convention material, both online and in print, to correctly specify that “Ariel University is located in an illegal Israeli settlement in the occupied Palestinian territory,” not in Israel.

As Israel escalates its genocide against 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza, breaking the fragile ceasefire with aerial bombings and a ground offensive adding to the already staggering death toll of tens of thousands, it is more important than ever to uphold international law and the rulings of the World Court.

Israel’s Gaza genocide has also killed at least 715 Palestinian athletes, including Palestinian Athletics Team runner Waseem Ayman Abu Deeb, Khan Younis goalkeeper Shadi Abu-Alarraj, FIFA certified referee Mohammed Khattab, and Olympic football coach and former player Hani Al Masdar.

The first ever Palestinian Olympian, distance runner Majed Abu Maraheel, died of kidney failure due to Israel’s blockade of Gaza preventing entry of medical supplies and fuel for power plants.

Palestinian weightlifter and Olympian Mohammed Hamada lost 15.8 kilos in just one month due to starvation caused by Israel’s blockade of Gaza, preventing him from participating in the Paris Olympics.

As your convention covers topics such as the impact of nutrition, mental and physical health on endurance sports, we urge you, in honor of the Palestinian athletes killed and mutilated by Israel’s genocide, to not normalize Israel’s unlawful military presence in the occupied Palestinian territory and its ongoing genocide.

If due diligence is not performed as laid out above and/or the convention program is not modified to be in accordance with the facts and the ICJ ruling, we urge participants to withdraw in order not to be complicit in this convention’s academic- and sports-washing of Israel’s illegal military occupation and genocide. 

No Academic Business As Usual with Ariel University