Anti-Israel Billboard Campaign Targets Times Square Ahead of World Cup

A prominent anti-Israel billboard has appeared in New York’s Times Square, calling for Israel to be banned from international sports competitions. The massive display, located near Broadway and West 43rd Street, is part of a movement called #GameOverIsrael, organized by the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee National. The billboard features inflammatory language, accusing Israel of "genocide" and calling for "no sport for war criminals."

The campaign's message is aimed at pressuring FIFA ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is hosting. According to ADC Executive Director Abed Ayoub, the movement is meant to prevent American stadiums from "whitewashing war crimes." He stated that the world must tell Israel that "there is no room in sports for war criminals."

The Times Square effort is the latest anti-Semitic step in a wider international push to have the Israel Football Association banned entirely from FIFA. The Palestine Football Association has been leading the charge, accusing the Israeli association of being complicit in what it calls the Israeli government's discriminatory practices against Arab soccer players. This effort has been gaining momentum, recently receiving a significant boost at the Asian Football Confederation Congress.

The president of the AFC, Sheikh Salman, publicly voiced his support for the Palestinian proposal, stating that the AFC "stands together with the Palestine FA." Several prominent Arab member nations of the AFC, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates, have already backed the proposal. The campaign's timing is notable as Israel is currently competing in World Cup qualifiers.