‘We are more than just a conflict’: Palestinian women’s soccer team on their whirlwind return to the pitch
By Andrew McNicol, CNN
(CNN) — Tears streamed down Bisan Abuaita’s face as she reunited with her teammates at Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport in May.
It was the first time members of the Palestinian women’s soccer team had met since the start of the war in Gaza, an ongoing trauma for Palestinians inside and outside the enclave.
The team was en route to Dublin, Ireland – the first time a senior Palestinian women’s team had ever played in Europe.
“Everyone was crying at the airport because that’s literally the only way for we sisters to meet. No one is playing. People are dying,” the 26-year-old – who plays as a winger for the team – later told CNN on the phone from her home in the West Bank.
This season’s Palestinian-based women’s league was slated to start on October 9, 2023, two days after Hamas’ devastating assault on Israel, that prompted a military campaign that has so far killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than a million more.
After months of fearing for their relatives and friends inside Gaza, the team finally got their 90 minutes of solace, kicking off against local Irish club Bohemians FC in May.
Adding extra significance to the match, it was played on the 76th anniversary of the Palestinian Nakba, or catastrophe, during which approximately 700,000 Palestinians fled their homes or were expelled by Jewish militia groups, in violence that accompanied the founding of the state of Israel in 1948.
Thousands of Palestinian flag-waving fans filled Dalymount Park, with the proceeds going to charitable organizations to help refugees back home. Irish President Michael Higgins was among those in attendance.
Just two weeks after the match was played, Ireland would go on to recognize Palestinian statehood, in a coordinated move with two other European nations, Spain and Norway, a decision that was condemned by Israel.
Ireland is considered one of the most pro-Palestinian nations in Europe, and earlier this year filed an intervention in the genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice.
The Palestinian side won the match 2-1, but the result was less important than the game itself.
“Leading the team out was unforgettable,” said 25-year-old captain Mira Natour, a doctor who will soon return to her native Bethlehem in the West Bank, where she works in a government hospital.
“It was a moment that filled me with enormous pride and a heavy sense of achievement. Not just for me, but the entire team and our nation. It was a symbol of our resilience; representing Palestine on the international stage despite all the challenges we face.”
Teammate Abuaita, who travels between Bethlehem and France to help displaced Palestinian women and children, described the “surreal” moment of being able to return to competitive soccer.
She had barely kicked a ball since her local club won the Palestinian Cup the previous year.
“It felt amazing,” she said. “Wearing the kit gives me goosebumps. With what’s happening lately, it’s like double the goosebumps.
“Everyone was crying when we heard the national anthem (pre-match) because you remember everything and everyone that you’re playing for. Each one of us knows people who are suffering, who (have been) martyred.”
‘Sisters’ assemble
The Palestinian players traveled to Ireland from far and wide – some from their homes in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, and others from the global diaspora living thousands of miles from the site of the conflict.
Five players from the West Bank, including Abuaita, had to drive to Jordan and fly from Amman. There are no airports in the Palestinian territories and the women would have needed a permit to fly from Israel’s Tel Aviv airport. Even though the distance to Jordan’s Queen Alia Airport is relatively short, three separate security checkpoints along the way meant the trip took around 10 hours, Abuaita said.
But at least they could travel. Since the team’s establishment in 2013, there has yet to be a Palestine women’s team member from Gaza, due to Israel’s blockade of the enclave.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have players from Gaza on our team. One of the main reasons why is the blockade that was forced upon Gazans since 2007,” said team manager Deema Yousef.
“This means citizens cannot leave the strip without a permit granted by the Israeli government, which is extremely hard to obtain,” said Yousef, a representative of the Palestinian Football Association.
Other players came from the Palestinian diaspora in Germany, Sweden, Canada and Saudi Arabia.
Eighteen-year-old goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips was born in Canada to a Bahamian father and Palestinian mother.
Phillips’ grandparents, George and Odette, are Nakba survivors whose family members were killed in front of them, she said.
They left Jerusalem in the mid-70s and moved to Canada and went on to open a successful Palestinian restaurant in Toronto, said Phillips, now a university student in Toronto.
“I can’t always fully relate to the struggles,” Phillips said. “I know what it means to be Palestinian in Canada, but I don’t know what it means to be Palestinian living in occupied Palestine. So, playing in a game like that in front of my teta (grandmother) and sidi (grandfather) was so significant to our family history.”
Nonetheless each meetup of the team, like the match in Ireland, is charged.
“It was so incredibly emotional,” Phillips recalled.
‘We are still fighting’
Both Natour and Abuaita described the team’s bittersweet feeling of clocking valuable minutes on the field, while remembering those struggling in war-torn Gaza.
Abuaita said her team plays as a mark of respect for those killed in the conflict, and as a reminder to the world that Palestinians are still fighting.
“We play for all those people who were killed, for those footballers and athletes who were murdered. And for those athletes who are still unable to play, because in Gaza now there’s zero stadiums – they were all destroyed. Being able to show people we’re here and that we’re still fighting in Palestine is an honor,” she said.
Since the game in Dublin, both the Palestinian men’s and women’s teams have played a handful of international friendly matches, with the former still in contention for a place at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada after an impressive outing in the Asian group stages this summer.
“Football is a source of hope and unity for our people. It allows us to tell our story – we are more than just a conflict,” captain Natour said.
“Most importantly, it inspires the younger generation to dream and strive for a better future, no matter what. When I look at my teammates with diverse backgrounds and unique talents, (I realize) we’re not just athletes but role models and advocates for our country, both on and off the field.”
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