Palestine on Tuesday came within a hair’s breadth of reaching the Asian playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — only to be denied in the final seconds of their last qualifying match by a penalty kick. On the surface, it was a simple sporting moment. But at its core, it reflects the story of an entire people who have long been subjected to suffering — not because of any fault of their own, but because the scales of the world have never been fair to them.

Palestine are denied by late Oman penalty in a 1-1 draw that ends their dreams of a first FIFA World Cup appearance.

Palestine on Tuesday came within a hair’s breadth of reaching the Asian playoff for the 2026 FIFA World Cup — only to be denied in the final seconds of their last qualifying match…