The head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) said he would push ahead with a move to try and suspend Israel from world football this week.

Stating that Israel was “playing like the bully of the neighbourhood", PFA head Jibril Rajoub said he would take the issue to the world football governing body and bring it to a vote. "I am going to end the suffering and the humiliation of the Palestinian footballers," he told the BBC. "It is our right."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move was “a blatant politicisation of sport and the result will be Fifa's collapse". "The Athenian Assembly thousands of years ago collapsed when they started ousting people,” said the prime minister. “They cancelled its universality. The same will happen with Fifa. We'll fight against it."

The PFA alleges that players and officials face restrictions from travelling to matches due to Israeli military checkpoints, illustrated by the detention of Palestinian referee Farouk Assi last September as he was on his way to officiate a match.

"They held me for an hour and a half," said Mr Assi. "It was very difficult to go through that experience." "We just want to be equal, to have the same rights as all those around the world, as players and referees," he added. "Like Israelis. Like anyone else."

FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that any suspension requires a 75% majority to pass. With the issue set to go to a vote, UEFA President Michel Platini said he "believes FIFA will not accept" the Palestinian proposal.