Exclusive: Charlotte Phillips on how representing Palestine has helped her family heal | OneFootball

Palestine goalkeeper Charlotte Phillips embodies the dying art of acknowledging privilege while, at the same time, managing to carry a major burden on her 19-year-old shoulders. The Canadian-born Palestine international discussed the unwavering resilience of her teammates and by extension her nation, the complete decimation of sport in Gaza, and her family’s experiences during the 1948 Nakba.

At first sight, Charlotte is just like any other teenager attending university, playing sport and enjoying the formative years of their life. However, there is so much more to this impressive woman. Some of that stems from her family history, who were victims of the 1948 Nakba in Palestine, where the country saw mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians. Some of her tenacity originates from her fierce alliance with the experiences of her teammates on the Palestinian national team, as they risk their lives to simply play the sport they love.

However, a lot of the admiration this writer felt when hearing Charlotte’s story was due to her unwavering dedication to platforming her country, its validity, and healing traumas within her own family. In 2023, Phillips received a call that she expected to be her latest international call-up to the U-20s Palestine squad. Instead, it was her first call-up to the senior team for two fixtures against Saudi Arabia.

Starting a career as a Palestine international

“That was my first time at going to Palestine. It was the most surreal experience of my life. I felt so connected.” Phillips proudly told Her Football Hub. “I was so nervous. I wasn’t expecting to start or even make my debut on my first camp, but it happened that way and I’m so grateful it did. Sometimes I still can’t believe it.”

There was no mistaking how much standing between the goalposts for Palestine for the first time meant to Phillips. She managed to keep a clean sheet against Saudi Arabia in Jeddah.

Charlotte Phillips plays in goal for Palestine. (Photo by Charlotte Phillips/Palestine FA)

It was somewhat of a formative experience for Phillips, who had not played senior-level football until then.

“In Canada, I’ve played with women who are maybe two or three years older than me. But here I am now, playing with women who have careers that are longer than I’ve been alive.”

The more senior Palestine players were quick to share their wisdom with the latest addition to their squad. Camaraderie and solidarity are of no short supply in the dressing room of this particular nation.

“It was such an important experience to play with people who are so passionate. They taught me so much about Palestine and how to wear that flag each time we play or train. Those women are some of my greatest friends now.”

Phillips has since represented Palestine 11 times and is an established first-team member.

The real dangers Phillips’ teammates face to play sport

Phillips’ teammates face a very different set of dangers when it comes to representing their nation. Around 30 percent of the current senior national team are based in occupied Palestine. For those women, even getting to and from matches could be putting their lives at risk.

As of October 2024, Al Jazeera reported that 410 athletes, sports coaches or officials had been killed in Palestine. Of those killed, 297 were footballers. Phillips recalls a particularly harrowing experience involving two of her teammates, Bisan Abu Aita and Jennifer Shatara. They were simply attempting to attend a fixture in Lebanon.

“I was on a completely different travel plan. I only had to take three flights to get to Jordan to meet the rest of the squad. The girls who live in occupied Palestine, though, they have to go through the border crossings.”

“If you have a Palestinian passport, you aren’t allowed to use the Israeli airports. We call them the 48 girls.”

Between 1948 and 1967, very few would publicly identify as Palestinians due to oppressive laws banning many things linked to the culture, such as flags, singing or even poetry. In Arabic culture, if a Palestinian remained after the 1948 Nakba, they were referred to as ‘48 Arabs‘, a term that has been reclaimed by Palestinian people.

Phillips calmly recalls: “Two of our players, they live in Bethlehem in the West Bank. So they have to travel hours to the checkpoints to try and get through the border and into Jordan. It took them the whole day to travel, initially by car and then by foot, in severe 40-degree heat after the border was suddenly closed by Israeli forces. They were both carrying huge suitcases with their equipment, clothing and boots for the tournament. They decide to walk around the checkpoint, up a large hill. If they miss their flight in Jordan, they miss the fixtures.”

In reality, the journey from Bethlehem to the Jordanian border should take roughly half an hour. There is a serious risk of being killed while crossing a border the way Aita and Shatara did. Amnesty International reported that 507 Palestinians had been killed in the West Bank in 2023 alone. That number will be much higher in 2024 but harder to accurately document.

Phillips explains how football, and the way it facilitates these powerful women to represent their country, means too much to these players.

2024 Palestine senior national team. (Photo by Charlotte Phillips/Palestine FA)

“This puts them at risk of getting shot or being arrested. They’re risking everything for the opportunity to represent Palestine. It shows how strong their resilience is and through that, they teach me. I respect the hell out of them, and they are the best, most genuine, caring, resilient people I know.”

Family, Palestine and conscious unlearning

Heritage is a vital part of life for young Phillips. Her family line is intrinsically linked to Palestine and its history. Charlotte’s grandfather, George Dabit, was forced to flee Palestine and during the 1948 Nakba. After spending some years in Jordan, Dabit moved back to East Jerusalem, where he met Charlotte’s grandmother, Odette.

Many of Odette’s family had emigrated to Canada to live in safety, but Odette initially found it harder to leave her home in Palestine behind. Odette’s brother Zachary was shot and killed by Israeli militia, leaving a gaping hole in the family. Odette’s mother couldn’t bear to leave.

“[My Mother told us] over my dead body are we leaving the land where my son is buried,” Odette recalled.

Odette also lost her father to a harrowing attack after he refused to sell his restaurant to colonisers. The decision was made to follow the rest of the family and emigrate to Canada, where Charlotte would eventually be born and raised.

With her family experiencing such shocking treatment due to being Palestinian, it’s no surprise that Phillips herself and those closest to her would have to unlearn the trauma response.

“They were always warning me to be cautious with who you trust that information to. When I was younger, I didn’t think too much about it,” Phillips recalls. As she grew into an adult, though, her pride began to outweigh the fear. The goalkeeper began the journey to reclaim her heritage loudly, both for her family and herself.

“Why shouldn’t I be open about who I am? Why should I hide that? I don’t want work for anyone who doesn’t respect me as a Palestinian.”

It was this unashamedly brave stance that helped Phillips’ family begin the journey to reclaiming their cultural pride.

“My mom was very nervous with it because, her whole life, she was told to be careful. So me representing the country and my family’s history has really made me go through a process of unlearning all the biases. All the — not shame because they didn’t have shame — more caution, was beginning to fade.”

Palestine fans in Ireland during the Palestine and Bohemians fixture in 2024. (Photo by Charlotte Phillips/Palestine FA)

It’s a testament to Phillips that despite not having grown up in Palestine, she resembled so many of the admirable traits of the culture, the resilience. Young shoulders helping older generations heal the wounds of the past through courage and a position of privilege that she so courageously checks.

“They did all the healing and unlearning themselves. But if, in any part, me representing my national team can help them do that, then it’s my favourite thing in the world. And that makes me so happy because everyone deserves to be proud of where they’re from.”

Phillips faces the dangers, both professionally and physically, of being loudly proud of her culture with utter grace and an invoking passion that is hard not to rally behind. It is trailblazers like Phillips that will see football in the Middle East succeed and her country’s culture undoubtedly prevail.

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