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Ireland's football governing body has given the green light to submit a official proposal to European football's governing body, calling for the banning of Israel from continental team and national competitions.

Grounds for the Recommended Ban

This motion, which was put forward by Dublin club Bohemians, cited claimed violations by the Israel Football Association of two key European football regulations.

• Inability to implement and enforce an proper policy against racism.
• Establishment of football teams in occupied Palestinian territories without the consent of the Palestinian Football Association.

Ballot Results and Next Steps

As stated in an official statement from the Irish FA, the proposal was backed by 74 votes, with 7 against and two abstentions.

The association intends to formally submit this motion to the Uefa executive committee, asking for the prompt ban of the IFA from European tournaments.

During a special assembly of the FAI, an ordinary resolution was put to members. It was approved by a large margin.

Earlier European Considerations

The European body had previously paused intentions to exclude Israel at the end of September, following the announcement of a US peace proposal for the region.

While they never publicly stated contemplating an extraordinary meeting on the issue, preparations were believed to be quite advanced.

International Context

This Irish resolution comes after similar calls in September from the leaders of Turkish and Norwegian governing bodies for Israel's suspension from global football.

Those requests were issued after UN specialists asked Fifa and Uefa to ban the Israeli FA, referencing a UN commission of inquiry report that accused the country of committing genocide during the war in Gaza.

The Israeli government has denied these allegations and described the findings as scandalous.

Potential Consequences

Should European football's authority decide to suspend Israel, it would probably strain relations with the US administration – co-hosts for the upcoming World Cup – which strongly opposes such an measure.

Although the European body has the authority to suspend Israeli teams from its tournaments, it may not be able to stop them from competing in qualification for the World Cup, which is governed by world football's governing body.