The IFSC and the UIAA are representing an organization that is partaking in the illegal occupation of Palestinian land and the establishment of the settlements as well as encouraging international climbers to normalize and participate in recreational activities on stolen land.

The IFSC and the UIAA are fully aware and endorse this, as both have their logos on the guidebooks of crags on occupied land. This is the Beit El Ein Yabrud guidebook available on the Israel Climbing Association website:

The IFSC and the UIAA are not only complicit in the crimes being committed by the Israel Climbing Association, they are also directly in breach of the ICJ 2024 ruling. As stated above, the ICJ ruling requires all states and international organizations not to recognize Israel’s illegal military presence in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The IFSC is considered an international organization as per Article 3 of its Statutes:

“The IFSC is the sole and exclusive world governing authority acting in all matters connected with Climbing and Paraclimbing as competitive sports.”

The UIAA is considered an international organization as per Article 1 of its Articles of Association (AoA):

“The "Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme" (hereinafter UIAA), founded at Chamonix on 27 August 1932, is the international federation of climbing and mountaineering organizations. It functions in accordance with these Articles of Association and is governed by the provisions of the Swiss Civil Code (Art. 60 and subsequent Articles).”

The United Nations Human Rights Council has in fact already ruled on the question in October 2024, through an official communication to the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, in which they clear state: “We would like to remind FIFA that international human rights law, which includes the right to self-determination, as well as the prohibition of racial discrimination and apartheid, applies to private international organizations, especially those that have global jurisdiction and mandates such as itself, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. [ ] As such, sports governing structures must integrate human rights standards into their governance structures and operations.” The full communication merits careful reading, as it exposes how the IFSC and the UIAA are legitimizing the illegal occupation of Palestine. Human Rights Watch and FairSquare have also shared these same concerns with FIFA.

The IFSC and the UIAA, by permitting the membership of the Israel Climbing Association and by allowing Israeli athletes to compete, are recognizing the crimes being committed by the Israel Climbing Association and are in breach of their responsibility under international law to avoid legitimizing an unlawful situation. By continuing to engage with the Israel Climbing Association, the IFSC and the UIAA undermine the ICJ ruling and contribute to the normalization of Israel’s illegal occupation. The IFSC and the UIAA are promoting entities that are implementing apartheid in climbing.

The IFSC requests in its Statutes and Statute Guide for National Federations from member federations to adhere to principles of non-discrimination:

(Statute) “Article 5 - The IFSC shall perform its activities according to the highest ethical standards and shall require compliance with such standards from its National Federations and other stakeholders in Climbing and Paraclimbing. In particular, the IFSC shall adopt the values of the Olympic Charter.”

(Statute Guide) “Article 6.3 - Non-Discrimination. The [FEDERATION] shall respect the rights and dignity of every person and prohibits any discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, language, social origin, social and economic status, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, political opinion, or other reason.”

and

(Statute Guide) “Article 6.4 - Safe and Respectful Environment - The [FEDERATION] shall promote a safe sporting environment; all forms of intimidation, harassment, and abuse are prohibited and will not be tolerated.”

The IFSC also has its own Code of Conduct, in which it states in Article 5.2:

“The persons bound by the Code shall not in any way and in any circumstance discriminate a person or a group of persons because of race, nationality, skin colour, religion, language, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), disability, social origin or status, age, political preferences, or any other reason contrary to human dignity.”

Not only is the Israel Climbing Association participating in the confiscation and requisitioning of public Palestinian land for the establishment of Israeli settlements, but it is also discriminating against Palestinians who wish to continue climbing on those crags.

There are countless reports from Palestinian climbers who have been violently harassed both by  the Israeli army and settlers while trying to enjoy a day out in the crag and the guides of the occupied crags are filled with notes that make the discrimination apparent.

On the Ein Yabrud crag the guide says: “How to Get There (for Israelis): Navigate to Beit El via Waze” - as access to Palestinian climbers is forbidden as it is in Military Zone  - and “Shabbat Notice: Beit El is a religious community, so driving inside the town is not permitted on Shabbat” - so the way to access the crag is not available on Sundays. The case of Ein Yabrud is particularly egregious, as the IFSC and the UIAA are officially endorsing a crag that has been shamelessly stolen from Palestinians and the work of Palestinian climbers erased on the Israeli guidebook.

Ein Yabrud was initially bolted around 2014-2015 by international climbers and included in the Climbing Palestine Guidebook, published in 2019. Before October 2023, Ein Yabrud was declared a military zone, and all access to Palestinians was prohibited. Israeli settlers started climbing there, adding new routes, and writing a new guidebook that was published in August of 2022, renaming the crag “Beit El”. This is part of the broader pattern of land theft and forced displacement across the West Bank, as the town of Ein Yabrud lies in the area of the illegal settlement of Ofra. Ofra is another unauthorised outpost, as Israeli settlers have expropriated the lands belonging to the village, restricted Palestinian access to their farms and livelihoods, and expanded their settlement activity.

The guide, with the IFSC and UIAA logos, entirely omits any acknowledgment of the original Palestinian bolters and states: “As far as is known, the first routes on the cliff were bolted by a pair of American climbers who established the first climbing wall in Ramallah. A local climber named Yitzhak Shifman identified the potential of the site and, once the go-ahead was received, both from the original bolters and from the local council, a continuation project was launched under the leadership of bolters from the Climbing Federation and with funding from the Beit El Council, which enlisted to assist in financing the project.”

Yet, the Israeli climbers replicated the routes documented in the Palestinian climbing guide and have the audacity to frame the account with the disclaimer “as far as is known”, knowing full well who the first bolters are.

From the Climbing Palestine Guidebook, published in 2019:

The entire Climbing Palestine Guide is plagiarised in this fashion in the Israeli guide. 

In addition to the plagiarism and the appropriation of land, how depraved must Israel, the ILCA, the IFSC and the UIAA be to have a guidebook describing how to relax in various springs after a day of climbing, fully aware that the local population lives under an apartheid system and cannot access the crags or the surrounding water?

On the Ein Fara crag page of 27 Crags, Palestinian climbers explain: “There are three ways to enter the climbing area and, like many things in the West Bank, how you can access it depends on your ID and ethno-religious background. Once you reach the gate of the Anatot settlement, access to West Bank Palestinians and green-plated Palestinian cars is forbidden. Foreigners, Israelis and Jerusalemites are allowed to enter the settlement in yellow-plated Israeli cars. Palestinians, therefore, have two options: drive around the settlement on an unmarked dirt road (as described on the Access page) or park outside the gates of the Anatot settlement and hike down for about 45 minutes to the climbing area.” 

In the Burqa crag, Wadi Climbing has posted on Instagram videos of their interactions with the Israeli army and the settlers, and has reported those interactions on their blog: “We tried to speak with soldiers in different languages, such as English and Hebrew. ‘We have documents proving that this land is  Palestinian property. What are your claims?’ The only response the soldiers ever had, 'This is an order, you must leave’. Conversely, when we asked the settlers, they only say, "God gave us this land!" When asked if they have documents, they only refer to the holy books as a reference!”

Can the IFSC in good faith claim that the Israel Climbing Association is not:

(1) engaging in acts of discrimination based on ethnicity, nationality, language, social origin, religion, and political opinion?

(2) creating an unsafe sporting environment on the occupied crags?

(3) promoting the Israeli settlers and army intimidation, harassment and abuse of Palestinian climbers on occupied crags?

As well as all of the above, we must point out that, the UIAA has a Code of Ethics which states:  

“All forms of physical, verbal, psychological, professional or sexual harassment and all forms of discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political or other opinion, marital status, national or social origin, property, birth or other status are strictly prohibited to respect and safeguard the dignity of every individual.”

According to the same Code, violations can be found regardless of intent:

“As a general rule, any breach of the Code may be established whether it was committed deliberately or negligently, whether or not the breach constitutes an act or an attempted act, and whether the parties acted as participant, accomplice or instigator.”

The UIAA Declaration on Hiking, Climbing and Mountaineering, published in 2025, states on Chapter 3: “We are considerate when proposing a name for a route, a peak, or other parts of a mountain: we consult with the local communities and respect local customs and existing rules to ensure that the proposed name is not offensive” and Chapter 8: “We respect local customs, cultural and legal rights of landowners. We also respect other visitors who have interests other than climbing and mountaineering” but it seems that for the UIAA, this does not apply when it comes to Israel occupying Palestinian crags. When it comes to Israel’s occupation, the UIAA endorses and allows its logo to be printed on Israeli guidebooks, regardless of the legal rights of landowners.

As an Olympic-recognized international federation, the IFSC and the UIAA are required to comply with the Olympic Charter:

Principle 4: “The practice of sport is a human right. Every individual must have access to the practice of sport, without discrimination of any kind in respect of internationally recognised human rights … The Olympic spirit requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

Principle 6: “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

All Fundamental Principles and other rules of the Olympic Charter apply to the IFSC and the UIAA both by virtue of Article 5 of IFSC’s Statutes and Article 3 of UIAA’s AoA and by its recognition as an international federation by the IOC (Article 2.1), which makes it part of the Olympic Movement and therefore bound by the IOC Charter.