Israeli security authorities prevented Palestinian footballer Musab Abu Salem from leaving the West Bank on May 31, blocking him at the Allenby Bridge border crossing between the West Bank and Jordan as he attempted to travel to Italy for a humanitarian match.
According to a statement by the Palestinian Football Authority (PFA), Abu Salem was part of a delegation representing the Palestine Stars Team, which was scheduled to play against Italy’s Napoli Stars Team in a solidarity match organised in support of the Palestinian people.
Israeli security officers separated Abu Salem from the rest of the travelling squad at the Allenby Bridge crossing, the PFA statement said. He was subjected to a prolonged interrogation before authorities issued a formal decision barring him from travel and ordering his return to the West Bank.
The Israeli government did not publicly comment on the decision, and no security justification was provided in the PFA’s account of events.
Palestinian Football Authority official, named, on the travel ban and its implications for Palestinian athletes’ freedom of movement
The match was designed to bring awareness of conditions facing Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to European audiences. Abu Salem’s absence means the Palestine Stars Team arrived in Italy without one of its named players.
The Allenby Bridge โ also known as the King Hussein Bridge โ is one of the only exit routes available to West Bank Palestinians for international travel. Israeli authorities control movement through the crossing and have the power to deny passage on security grounds without providing public reasons.
The incident adds to a growing record of travel restrictions affecting Palestinian athletes. The Palestine national football team has been unable to host home matches in Palestinian territory throughout the current conflict, relocating its base of operations to Chile in August 2025, according to the team’s Wikipedia-documented history. Israeli forces have also been reported to have shot Palestinian footballers during the conflict, a pattern that has prompted calls from legal scholars and human rights groups for international football bodies to take action.
More than 30 legal experts wrote to UEFA president Aleksander ฤeferin in October 2025 calling for Israel’s exclusion from European competition, citing what they described as the killing of Palestinian footballers, according to Al Jazeera.
The Palestine Stars Team is expected to proceed with the match in Italy as scheduled. The PFA has not announced whether it intends to file a formal complaint with FIFA or any other international body over Abu Salem’s travel ban. The Israeli authorities have not indicated whether the ban is temporary or permanent.
Background:
West Bank Palestinians require Israeli approval to cross the Allenby Bridge, the primary land exit connecting the territory to Jordan and onward international travel. Israel has controlled movement through the crossing since 1967. The Palestine national football team has been unable to play home matches since the outbreak of the current Gaza conflict in October 2023. International sporting bodies including FIFA and UEFA have faced sustained pressure to suspend Israeli football associations over the conduct of the war, without yet taking formal action.
What happens next:
The Palestine Stars Team is expected to play the solidarity match in Italy against the Napoli Stars Team as planned. The PFA statement did not confirm whether Abu Salem will be permitted to travel at a later date. No Israeli government statement has been issued, and no formal international sporting body complaint has been announced by the PFA.
