Tonight's Nations League match is being played at Stade de France as planned, unlike Israel's recent matches, which have been played in front of few spectators at a neutral venue in Hungary.
After the violence in Amsterdam a week ago, in connection with the Europa League match between Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv, the French government has made it clear that it will not give in to "violence and anti-Semitism". 4,000 police officers have been deployed on the streets of Paris and at the arena ahead of the high-risk match.
The Israeli national team's away matches have been followed by protests against the country's warfare in Gaza. At the club match in Amsterdam, violence was reported against and by Israeli supporters. The city's mayor, Femke Halsema, condemned what she described as "an outbreak of anti-Semitism that we had hoped never to witness again".
The Israeli government is advising against travel to Paris. A right-wing Jewish organization, on the other hand, is calling for a demonstration.
There is clearly a desire to mobilize and fill this type of match with political content, says Ekim Çaglar, an author who writes about the connection between football and politics.
Wanting Fifa to act
Israeli participation in international football is inherently a political issue, emphasizes Çaglar. The Palestinian Football Association has reported Israel's counterpart to the international Fifa, citing the conflict, and specifically that Israeli teams play on occupied Palestinian territory.
Fifa has postponed a decision on the matter.
On the Arab side, many do not understand how Fifa could take a tough stance against Russia after the invasion of Ukraine, but do nothing in this case, says TV4's football expert Olof Lundh, who believes that the leadership of world football is afraid.
Therefore, there has been a great deal of silence from both Uefa and Fifa about the Hamas attack on October 7 and what has happened since in Gaza. But what has upset many is that politicians have more strongly condemned what they perceive as anti-Semitism against Israeli supporters, and less have highlighted what has happened from the Israeli supporters' side.
Political playing field
Football and politics are inextricably linked, both experts agree.
Here, it's about football fans where there have already been problems with extremism, notes Ekim Çaglar. Add to that a political situation that evokes enormous emotions, with a broader acceptance of coarse expressions.
Tonight, French President Emmanuel Macron will attend Stade de France, which his staff has described as a show of solidarity after the "unthinkable anti-Semitic acts" in Amsterdam.
Using football as a stage to show solidarity with certain groups is as political as it gets, says Ekim Çaglar.
Last Thursday, violence erupted in Amsterdam, in connection with Ajax's match against Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.
Already the day before the match, Dutch authorities warned of a large number of threats against Israeli team supporters on social media.
When Maccabi supporters gathered hours before the match, they destroyed Palestinian flags that Amsterdam residents had hung out. They also sang chants with racist messages directed at Arabs and Palestinians, as well as mocking slogans about there being "no more children" in Gaza. Some armed themselves with weapons.
The Israeli supporters vandalized, among other things, a taxi, whereupon taxi drivers mobilized via social media.
Israeli supporters were attacked and beaten at various locations when they were identified as Israelis or Jews. Footage circulating shows groups of men chasing, interrogating, and beating people they identified as Israelis or Jews.
After the match, a large group of Israeli supporters was reported to be in a riot-like atmosphere outside the arena.
Five people received hospital treatment after being injured in the violent attacks outside the arena.
Israel participates in European football despite being located in the Middle East.
The Israeli Football Association (IFA) was founded in 1948, like the state of Israel. Together with 16 other countries, it was part of the founding of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in 1954.
Many Arab and Muslim countries in AFC refused to meet an Israeli team. Israel, for example, won the Asian qualifying tournament for the World Championship in Sweden in 1958 without playing a single match, only to lose a playoff against Wales.
Israel also won the Asian Championships as the host country in 1964, after most opponents stayed home.
Israel qualified for its first and only World Championship in 1970, but it was during an era when several wars broke out between Israel and neighboring countries, and when the West Bank and East Jerusalem were placed under Israeli occupation. In 1974, a majority of AFC member countries voted to expel Israel.
After that, Israel was allowed to participate in the European and Oceanian World Cup qualifiers. In 1991-92, Israel was allowed to participate in European football, and in 1994, it became a full member of the European confederation Uefa.
