IRELAND captain Nathan Collins has said the national team's players will not be prevented from taking a stand against Israel, with the teams due to meet twice later this year.
The Boys in Green are set to play Israel away on September 27 and in Dublin on October 4 in Group B3 of the UEFA Nations League.
Speaking ahead of the upcoming friendlies with Qatar and Canada, Brentford defender Collins said it had been difficult for the players to discuss the matter as a whole, given the significant squad rotation since the World Cup play-off in March.
However, he conceded that the players had been placed in 'a tough situation' and he would respect their individual views.
"I think there will be something for the players to talk about," he told a press conference ahead of Thursday's game with Qatar in Dublin.
"It's been tough though because the squads have been so split. You had a lot of senior players in the last camp and a different amount here. We all need to be there together at once.
"But for players, we just have to trust the FAI, we have to trust the government that they know what they're doing.
"We're picked to play football, we're picked to represent our country. It's a tough situation for us to be in and we have to trust the people around us that they know what they're doing."
He added: "What we speak about is hard to say because you need the whole group together but if individuals wanted to take a stand, we're not going to stand against it, we're not going to hold them back.
"They're entitled to their own opinions and if they're very strong about that, then it's nothing we can stop them about."
The FAI confirmed in February that it will fulfil the fixtures, despite the association's General Assembly voting just three months earlier to submit a motion to UEFA calling for Israel to be suspended from European football.
There has also been opposition to the fixtures from leading figures in the game, including former national team manager Brian Kerr, who has backed Irish Sport for Palestine's 'Stop the Game' campaign.
Following Ireland's clash with Qatar, the national team will travel to Canada to face the World Cup co-hosts on Saturday, June 6.
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