The Jewish Leadership Council has applauded the decision to drop the proposal to suspend the Israel Football Association at the Fifa Congress.

JLC chief executive Simon Johnson, who led the English FA’s 2018 World Cup bid, welcomed “the decision of the Palestinian Football Association to withdraw its vindictive and politically motivated proposal to suspend the Israel Football Association from world football.

“As a result, the Fifa Congress will not be required to vote on this matter. I call on Fifa to amend its statutes so that it is never again possible for one football association to threaten the suspension of another for political reasons and for such a proposal to go on the agenda of the Fifa Congress as soon as possible.”

He added that “football is about unity and peace and my call on Fifa aims to ensure this remains the case”.

The motion was withdrawn by the Palestinian FA at today's session of the Fifa congress in Zurich. Delegates subsequently voted in favour of the creation of a committee of international observers to monitor Palestinians concerns.

Ofer Eini, president of the Israeli FA, said he was delighted that the threat of expulsion had been removed.

Addressing his remarks to Jabril Rajoub, head of the Palestinian FA, he told the congress: “Lets leave it to the politicians to deal with politics. I said to you in person and I’m saying it here, I want us to work together, to cooperate, to hug each other. The differences we have should be resolved by listening to each other, hearing each other. Everyone here [at FIFA] sits as friends, there are always differences of opinions but if we speak, we can resolve them.

“I hope we can cooperate and that it will be the beginning of a process that will lead to a peace between our people. Football is a uniting element, not a divisive one.”