As a kid, I always looked forward to the World Cup. On those hot summer nights when I was visiting my family back home in Palestine, everyone would gather together — the TV at max volume, snacks everywhere, and excitement in the air. The World Cup was something I associated with my homeland; I remember the love my people and family had for it and how it connected us and built community.
Now, years later, the same cultural institution is partnering with the entity that's vowing to ravage my homeland. That's right, the FIFA president just appeared with Donald Trump at the sham Board of "Peace" meeting. They're promising $70 million to build soccer fields next to Gaza's schools, ignoring the fact that Israel destroyed all of the schools. In aligning with Trump, FIFA is complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Gaza. To make matters worse, Airbnb is one of the official supporters of this year's World Cup.
One thing the Board of "Peace," FIFA, and Airbnb all have in common is that they never hesitate to take Palestinian land and use it for their own good. For years, CODEPINK has been calling on Airbnb to stop listing properties in Israeli settlements, because not only does it further entrench settler colonialism, it also normalizes Western companies profiting off Palestinian suffering. Similarly, Trump's Board of "Peace" sells off Palestinian land, inviting private developers into Gaza while sidelining genocide survivors. Trump's plan is an attack on Palestinian land, dignity, and self-determination.
Tell Airbnb to cancel its partnership with FIFA!
Trump promised $10 billion of U.S. taxpayer money to build skyscrapers in Rafah, to deploy an International Stabilization Force of over 20,000 troops, and to have Gaza be "self-governed" within a decade. While Palestinians don't even have a seat at the table, Israel does. By playing along with this imperialist scheme, FIFA is tarnishing its legacy once and for all.
The irony in this situation should not be lost on us. FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who called soccer a "universal language" spoken by billions, said of FIFA's participation in the Board of "Peace": "When rebuilding after conflict, we must not only build houses, roads, hospitals and schools, but also rebuild emotions, trust and belief." Infantino's comments misrepresent what actually happened in Gaza — a genocide, not a conflict — and offer up a tiny band-aid for a massive wound. Israel and the U.S. collaborated to intentionally destroy all civil infrastructure to make Gaza unlivable for Palestinians and to turn it into a "parking lot."
Thus, the perpetrators of the genocide rebuilding of structures do virtually nothing to "rebuild emotions, trust, and belief" in the people of Gaza. They are still being bombarded and starved during the holy month of Ramadan; many are unable to find the scattered remains of their loved ones murdered by Israel. Gaza needs self-determination and rehabilitation, not soccer stadiums.
Of course, capitalism and imperialism sit at the heart of the Board of "Peace," an organization full of the rich and powerful who seek to exploit and dominate the Global South. U.S. corporations have long displaced indigenous people to loot their land. This time is no different. It is no surprise then that corporations seek to shape the future of Gaza.
Right now, Airbnb has over 350 listings located in illegal settlements in the West Bank. The company surely has its sights set on Gaza. However, Airbnb, FIFA, the Board of "Peace," and Israeli settlers do not have titles or deeds. It is not their land to take or rebuild. Palestinians can rent out their own homes, if they wish. They can build their own stadiums and pitches. They can govern themselves.
Send a letter to Airbnb to push them away from their partnership with FIFA!
👉 Here are more ways to engage:
- Send a letter to congress members to demand Leqaa Kordia be released!
- RSVP for our Women for Peace: IWWD 2026 Webinar!
- RSVP for our Summer Workshops: Challenging Zionism in Schools!
- The Global Sumud Flotilla is back up, sign up for updates here!
- Register for our Palestine Working Group!
Until Liberation,
Jenin and the entire CODEPINK team
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