On Saturday, the Gennika Peace Museum hosted the official signing ceremony for the charity match between the Palestine team and the Basque region, to be held at St. Mames Stadium on November 15.
The signing was attended by the President of the Palestinian Football Association, Gabriel Rajoub, by Iker Goni, President of the Basque Football Association, the mayor of Gennika, Jose Maria Guronio, Susan Shalaby, Vice -President of the Football Association, and Yasser Hamed, the national team player.
Rajoub said in a press conference, that Gherica, who carries the memory of the innocent people who were killed under the bombing, reminds the world of Khaled’s call: What happened will never be repeated.
He added that this call is renewed today in Gaza, where civilians are exposed to a human tragedy that resonates with the suffering of others.
The Palestinian national team is preparing to meet the Basque region friendly- the Palestinian Football Association
More than just a football match
Rajoub stressed that the upcoming match is not merely sports competition, but rather “a testimony for the moral strength of football, its ability to spread hope, unite peoples, and expression when others choose silence.”
Rajoub extended deep thanks to the Basque Football Association for his historical initiative, especially his decision to donate the full revenues of the match in favor of humanitarian organizations operating in Gaza, considering that this position “will not be recorded as a number, but will be translated into a drug in the hands of a child and hope in the heart of a mother.”
He also praised the popular position in Bilbao, saying: “We felt in the streets of the city that Palestine is not alone, and that human dignity still finds those who defend it.”
In his speech, Rajoub saluted Spain for its brave political stance, saying that history will record that Spain “stood against genocide and chose humanity at the expense of collusion.”
He concluded by saying: “From the ruins of others to the ruins of Gaza, the message is one: what happened will never be repeated. Today, and with the ball at our feet, we carry this message forward.”
The symbolism of the match
For his part, Iker Goni, President of the Basque Football Association, stressed the importance of holding this match in the place of “Ramzi as the Union of Peace Museum”, and said: “The tragedy of Jernika has become a global symbol against violence and injustice. Today, after nearly 90 years, this symbol is still alive and represents a challenge to us in the face of the suffering of other peoples.”
In turn, the mayor of Gherica, Jose Maria Guronio, described what is happening in Gaza as a genocide that no one stops, and that what is going on is one of the most heinous massacres in the history of humanity.
Guronio accused the international community and democratic systems of silence and collusion, describing it as “human, bound, colonel and pioneering.”
He stressed that the Basque team match with Palestine carries a message of solidarity with the Palestinian people in light of this tragedy.
