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On a “mission” in Spain, Palestinian national team coach Ehab Abu Jazar and his players will play symbolic friendlies against the Basque Country and Catalan national teams in the hopes of working towards safety and freedom for their people.Dressed in a black tracksuit, whistle in mouth, Palestinian coach Abu Jazar leads the team’s training session with authority at Lezama, Athletic Bilbao’s training ground on Friday.On one of the pitches offered by the top-flight club he tries to prepare his players as best he can for what will be much more than just a match at the grand San Mames stadium, in front of 50,000 spectators supporting the Palestinian cause on Saturday.As seen during the pro-Palestinian protests that heavily affected cycling’s Vuelta a Espana Grand Tour this summer, there is heavy support for them in the region as they play their first match in Europe.They are 98th in the FIFA rankings, and their dream of playing in their first World Cup vanished this summer in the third round of the Asian qualifiers.Abu Jazar has lost many family members to the Israel-Hamas war and some of his relatives are still at risk, a situation always present in his thoughts.”I am from the Gaza Strip, from a large family in the Gaza Strip. We have almost 200 martyrs from the family. My own house was destroyed in this war,” he tells AFP.”My relatives, my mother until today is still living in a tent along with my brothers, my sisters, my cousins, my neighbours, my friends, and all of Gaza. So, emotionally and psychologically, it is extremely difficult.”Most of his players have never set foot in Gaza. Some play in Qatar, one in Chile, in Iceland, or in the United States.They are the last representatives of Palestinian football, devastated at all levels by two years of Israeli bombardment, described as genocide by the Spanish government, in response to Hamas’s unprecedented cross-border attack on October 7, 2023.Since then, there has been no league, no functioning clubs, and hundreds of athletes have been injured or killed, including the country’s most famous footballer, Suleiman Al-Obeid, 41, nicknamed the “Palestinian Pele”.The Palestine Football Association said he was killed when Israel attacked civilians waiting for humanitarian aid.”We are here on a mission,” says coach Abu Jazar to AFP, adjusting his keffiyeh around his neck.”Our message to the whole world is this — put pressure on this occupation to stop this genocide.” – ‘Death and famine continue’ -Despite the fragile ceasefire which came into place on October 10, the coach highlighted the continuing peril for civilians in Gaza.”Death continues in Gaza to this day, famine continues in the Gaza Strip, and there is no shelter,” said Abu Jazar, after Israel’s relentless bombing razed much of the land.”We are approaching the winter season and the tents do not protect from the cold of winter nor the heat of summer.”So we are telling the entire world — apply as much pressure as you can on this occupation, because in Palestine there is a people who deserve a state and a dignified life.”We want to live with dignity and independence, and this will not happen except with the end of the occupation.”The coach, like his players, hopes this charity match, with proceeds donated to Doctors Without Borders, will help increase the “pressure” on the international community to fight for lasting peace and recognition of a Palestinian state.”This is the most important thing — giving a voice to Palestinians who don’t have one, and raising funds to help humanitarian organisations,” said defender Yasser Hamed, born in Bilbao and trained at Athletic Bilbao.”This money will help a lot, especially in rebuilding hospitals, delivering medicines, etc.”- Hope and resilience -Hamed, who speaks fluent Basque and Spanish, considers himself “lucky” to be able to continue living his passion, “while some Palestinians are starving.””It makes you savour every plate, and all the little things people don’t notice in daily life,” he continued.”We have this responsibility to bring a bit of joy to our compatriots who are suffering. All of this must stop, and Palestine must finally be free.”His teammate Ahmed Al-Qaq, born in the United States to Palestinian parents, hopes these matches can “open the world’s eyes” to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.”We are not politicians, but as players, we give people something to look forward to. Especially with everything they’re going through, it gives them a glimmer of hope,” explains the 23-year-old winger.And if Palestine lose, as they did against Malaysia and Algeria in recent matches?”We’ll recover. It’s in our genes to always get back up when we fall.”

The UN Security Council will vote Monday on a resolution endorsing US President Donald Trump’s Gaza peace plan, diplomats said.Last week the Americans officially launched negotiations within the 15-member Security Council on a text that would follow up on a ceasefire in the two-year war between Israel and Hamas and endorse Trump’s plan.A draft of the resolution seen Thursday by AFP “welcomes the establishment of the Board of Peace,” a transitional governing body for Gaza — that Trump would theoretically chair — with a mandate running until the end of 2027.It would authorize member states to form a “temporary International Stabilization Force (ISF)” that would work with Israel and Egypt and newly trained Palestinian police to help secure border areas and demilitarize the Gaza Strip.Unlike previous drafts, the latest mentions a possible future Palestinian state.The United States and several Arab and Muslim-majority nations including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey called Friday for the UN Security Council to quickly adopt the resolution.”The United States, Qatar, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Jordan, and Türkiye express our joint support for the Security Council Resolution currently under consideration,” the countries said in a joint statement, adding they were seeking the measure’s “swift adoption.”Friday’s joint statement comes as Russia circulated a competing draft resolution to Council members that does not authorize the creation of a board of peace or the immediate deployment of an international force in Gaza, according to the text seen Friday by AFP.The Russian version welcomes “the initiative that led to the ceasefire” but does not name Trump.It also only calls on the UN secretary-general to submit a report that addresses the possibilities of deploying an international stabilization force in war-ravaged Gaza.The United States has called the ceasefire “fragile,” and warned Friday of the risks of not adopting its draft.”Any refusal to back this resolution is a vote either for the continued reign of Hamas terrorists or for the return to war with Israel, condemning the region and its people to perpetual conflict,” the US ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, wrote in The Washington Post.”Every departure from this path, be it by those who wish to play political games or to relitigate the past, will come with a real human cost.”While it seemed until now that Council members supported principles of the peace plan, diplomatic sources noted there were questions about the US text, particularly regarding the absence of a monitoring mechanism by the Council, the role of the Palestinian Authority, and details of the ISF’s mandate.The Russian UN mission said in a statement that its alternative proposal differed by recognizing the principle of a “two-State solution for the Israeli-Palestinian settlement.””Unfortunately, these provisions were not given due regard in the US draft,” it said.

When Paniz Faryoussefi mounts the podium and reaches for her baton, she represents more than just the hope of a thrilling orchestral performance.The eyes turned towards her in Tehran’s renowned Vahdat Hall include those of many young women musicians inspired by her taking her place as Iran’s first woman philharmonic conductor.Women’s professional and cultural lives are still heavily restricted in the conservative Islamic republic, particularly in terms of public performance before mixed-gender audiences.Women, for example are not allowed to sing solo in front of men.But, as exemplified by 42-year-old Faryoussefi, they can now conduct an orchestra.”When I stepped onto the stage, I noticed that all eyes were on a woman conducting the orchestra, and I felt an immense responsibility,” she told AFP after the performance.- Close eye on dissent -Widespread street protests shook Iran for several months following the death in custody in 2022 of a young woman arrested for violating the country’s strict dress code for women.In the wake of the disturbances, the government has relaxed certain restrictions and young women have become more prominent in some areas of social and cultural life. And since a 12-day war with Israel earlier this year, Iranians have been pushing social boundaries further still.Analysts say the authorities have shown greater tolerance, while keeping as close an eye as ever for any signals of political dissent.Several women in the audience at the concert did not wear their scarves. The conductor wore hers, covering her hair as the law demands, but her arrival at the podium was in itself a sign of greater openness.    The crowd shared Faryoussefi’s enthusiasm, particularly the young women, who seemed aware that they were witnessing a historic moment.In some Iranian cities, women musicians are not allowed to perform on stage, and even in the capital Tehran they cannot raise their voices in song in public. Faryoussefi was born into an artistic family and her mother dreamed of her becoming a cheffe d’orchestre — but Iranian performing arts academies do not teach conducting.She briefly attended classes in Armenia before returning to build a trailblazing career. “Young women need to persevere and follow their dreams,” she said.At the podium, she led the 50-strong orchestra through works by Austria’s Franz Schubert, Finland’s Jean Sibelius and the Soviet-Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian.”I hope this marks a new era for young Iranian women and that they will understand that… they should not be afraid,” she said. “It is the only gateway to emancipation.”A friend saw a little girl in the audience mimicking my movements. He thought a dream was already taking root in her, that she was thinking she too could one day achieve the same thing.”The concerts took place over two days and attracted large crowds.Said Shourabi, 53, works in metal fabrication and wasn’t a big concertgoer until his daughter, who was out of town, bought him the tickets and insisted he go along.  “In Iran,” he said, “women have always been held back and haven’t been able to fully express their talents, even if I’m sure they’re just as capable as men.” Hairdresser Fariba Aghai, 44, was delighted to see a woman take up the baton at the orchestra, lamenting that women singers still can’t perform at concerts or publish their own songs.”They shouldn’t have to sell themselves short and should know that they’re capable of anything,” she said.