A DECISION on whether or not to suspend Israel from international football is set to be taken by the Fifa Council on Thursday.

A proposal to suspend the Israeli federation was first proposed by the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) in April and raised at the Fifa Congress the following month.

The PFA cited breaches of the global football governing body’s rules. Israel rejected the allegations contained in the proposal.

The PFA’s initial proposal came amid the bombing of the Palestinian territory of Gaza by Israel, and Thursday’s anticipated decision from the Fifa Council comes at a time when arguably the situation in the Middle East has escalated still further with Iran having now been drawn into the conflict.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino said at Congress in May that an independent legal assessment of the PFA’s proposal would need to take place, with Fifa Council to review the assessment in July.

The timeframe for a decision was further extended in July, and on August 31 Fifa said it had received the assessment and that a decision would be taken at its Council meeting in October. Today’s meeting is scheduled to start at 12pm UK time.