Wembley fell silent ahead of England’s friendly against Australia in memory of those killed in the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas as the Football Association faced fresh criticism for not lighting up the stadium’s arch in their honour.
The FA announced plans on Thursday for players to wear black armbands and for those inside the stadium to observe a period of silence “to remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine”.
But they stopped short from lighting the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag, a gesture they opted to employ ahead of the Ukraine match earlier this year as blue and yellow adorned the stadium’s signature landmark.
Jordan Henderson and Mat Ryan, the respective England and Australia captains on the night, led the two sets of players to the centre-circle as everyone inside the stadium observed an impeccable period of silence as the big screens carried a sombre message.
“Tonight we remember the innocent victims of the devastating events in Israel and Palestine,” it read.
“Our thoughts are with them, and their families and friends in England and Australia and with all the communities who are affected by this ongoing conflict.
“Tonight we stand for humanity and an end to the death, violence, fear and suffering.”
Hamas’ assault on Saturday and smaller attacks since have killed more than 1,300 people in Israel, including 247 soldiers — a toll unseen in Israel for decades — and the ensuing Israeli bombardment has killed more than 1,530 people in Gaza, according to authorities on both sides.
On Thursday, the Cabinet minister responsible for sport, Lucy Frazer, criticised the FA in a social media post, calling the decision “extremely disappointing”.
Then, just hours before kick-off at Wembley, Israel Football Association president Moshe Zuares hit out at what he deemed a lack of support for the country.
“There are moments in history when truth is one, sharp and clear. Such is the present time. More than 1,200 children, babies, women, men and old people were slaughtered by a barbaric enemy, who committed crimes against humanity,” he said in a statement released on social media.
“The only sin of the victims was that they were Israelis. Those who are afraid to light up a stadium in memory of the murdered and for the sake of historical truth, for reasons that cannot be understood at all and perhaps it is better not to even try, are in an even darker time than the one in my country is currently in.
“When this happens by the FA of a nation that has always known how to be a moral lighthouse for the free world, it is more disappointing than ever. I tried to explain this to my colleagues in the English FA several times in the past few days but they insisted on not understand (sic). Now they are the ones who need to explain.”
A rabbi working on a Football Association faith group has resigned over the governing body’s response to the Hamas attacks on Israeli citizens last weekend.
Our decision not to allow Israeli or Palestine flags into Wembley Stadium was made at the direct request of senior members of the Jewish community— The FA
Alex Goldberg wrote to the FA to say he was “profoundly disappointed” that there were no plans for a specific tribute to the victims of those attacks.
He said the decision not to light up the Wembley arch in the colours of the Israeli flag ahead of the friendly between England and Australia on Friday night had been “received badly” and also questioned the decision not to permit the flags of any nation to be brought into Wembley besides those of England and Australia.
“Many see the statement only to permit flags and representations of the competing nations as eradicating Jewish symbols and it has compounded grievances with the gravity of the recent events, but also inadvertently neglects the security and emotional well-being of Jewish fans who may be in attendance,” he wrote in a letter published by the Jewish News.
The FA responded to Rabbi Goldberg’s letter by saying: “We are sorry to hear of Rabbi Alex’s decision to resign from his role in our Faith in Football group.
“Although this is an informal group that is not part of the FA’s governance structure, we are grateful for the support he has provided over the years.
“It is also important to clarify that our decision not to allow Israeli or Palestine flags into Wembley Stadium was made at the direct request of senior members of the Jewish community.”
