Fifa President Gianni Infantino's attempt to stage a symbolic moment of reconciliation at the organization's annual congress collapsed when the Palestinian Football Federation's leader flatly refused to shake hands with his Israeli counterpart on stage.
The awkward standoff unfolded during the 76th Fifa congress in Vancouver as Infantino called both Jibril Rajoub and Israeli FA vice-president Basim Sheikh Suliman to the podium. Rajoub declined to participate in what witnesses described as an orchestrated photo opportunity, leaving Infantino visibly flustered.
Sources present suggested the Fifa chief had hoped to use the moment as a centerpiece announcement, one that he would immediately follow with his own news. Instead, he pressed ahead with what he termed his "first" announcement, confirming he will run for a third full term as president in an election scheduled for next year in Rabat, Morocco.
The failed diplomatic gesture underscores the limits of Infantino's carefully constructed image as a global statesman. The Fifa president has invested heavily in this persona, most notably by creating the Fifa Peace Prize last year and awarding it to Donald Trump.
After Rajoub's rejection, Infantino returned to remarks about working together for the sake of children and dismissed the moment by saying "these are complex matters."
Palestinian FA vice-president Susan Shalabi explained the refusal directly. "I cannot shake the hand of someone the Israelis have brought to whitewash their fascism and genocide," she said. "We are suffering."
Infantino's path to a potential 15-year tenure has been cleared by Fifa's rule structure, which counts only full terms toward a three-term limit. He first arrived in office in 2016 as a reform candidate meant to distance the organization from Sepp Blatter's disgraced era. He faces no expected opposition in next year's election.
Author James Rodriguez: "Infantino learned what many world leaders have discovered the hard way, that choreographed gestures of peace don't work when the underlying conflict remains raw and unresolved."
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