Miri Regev
Miri RegevYonatan Sindel/Flash 90

Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev expressed indignation over the Yediot Ahronotreport that the European Football Association (UEFA) conditioned the Israeli national football team's coverage by the Kann corporation on not broadcasting in Judea and Samaria.

The Minister instructed that the news' accuracy be checked with the Israel Football Association and UEFA.

"The borders of the State of Israel will not be determined by the sports organizations. The time has come for them to internalize that Judea and Samaria as an inseparable part of the State of Israel. Sport is a basic right of every person and UEFA, as all international sports organizations, is responsible for ensuring there is no political interference in sports," said Regev.

Miri Regev
Miri RegevFlash 90

She says "UEFA is scoring an own goal, especially after FIFA, the parent organization, set clear boundaries, issued a red card to the terrorist Jibril Rajoub, and suspended it only a month-and-a-half ago for a year following incitement attempts and his call for violence and delegitimizing the State of Israel.

"UEFA has to learn and adopt FIFA policy - to keep politics out of the sports fields and to ensure that sport is the domain of everyone. It's a right that has no boundaries, and the borders of our country won't be determined by sports organizations," added Regev.

"The broadcasting corporation financed by the public budget must fight to realize broadcasting rights in Judea and Samaria, and not to surrender to the futile demands of the UEFA organization, which gives a backwind to attempts to undermine Israeli sovereignty and call for delegitimization against the State of Israel. Judea and Samaria are not at all negotiable. They are part of the State of Israel, and therefore the broadcasting rights must also include the hundreds of thousands of our citizens who live there - they aren't second-class citizens," stated Minister Regev.