'Normalisation via sports': Saudi football team visits Al-Aqsa Mosque in Israeli occupied Jerusalem

Saudi Arabia's national football team visited the the Al-Aqsa compound in the occupied East Jerusalem ahead of a World Cup qualifying match against Palestine on Tuesday, which has been slammed by Palestinian groups as an act of normalisation with Israel due to cooperation with authorities.

The visit is the first time the kingdom's team visits the Palestinian territories to play the national team and comes at the request by the Palestinian Federation, Saudi Arabia's Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al-Faisal, chairman of the country’s Sports Authority said.

"At the request of the brothers in the Palestinian Federation, the Saudi Football Federation agrees to play the first team match in the Asian qualifiers in the city of Ramallah in Palestine," Saudi Arabia's Sports Authority said on 3 October in a statement on Twitter.

The match is due to take place at 12,500-seater Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium in the Palestinian village of Al-Ram, however, Palestinian rights group have denounced the move.

Arab teams have historically refused to play games in the occupied Palestinian territories, as they would be required to apply for entry permits given by Israel. This would breach a decades-long boycott of Israel, although  Iraq, the UAE, and Bahrain have broken the boycott.

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The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said Saudi Arabia playing on Palestinian home turf aids "normalisation with Israel via sports", as players will require visas to attend the planned game on 15 October.

The group called on Palestianians to boycott the game and publically express their anger at the "marketing for Saudi policies in the region, and opening the door for the normalisation with the Zionist entity".

The head of the Palestinian Football Association said that hosting the match would be a historical event for both notions. 

Riyadh has historically supported the Palestinian cause, refusing to recognise the political existence of the state of Israel, but some Gulf Arab states - including Saudi Arabia - have warmed ties with Israel in recent years.

Backdoor discussions between Israeli and Emirati and Saudi officials have also been hinted at, with Saudi Arabia reportedly considering an option of buying Israeli natural gas.

Last year, surprise talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Oman's Sultan Qaboos in Muscat.

Gulf rulers have come under harsh criticism for their perceived abandonment of support for Palestinian statehood and the rights of millions of Palestinians living under occupation.

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