Latest Developments
French authorities opened an investigation into spectators who carried a banner declaring “Genocide Olympics,” chanted “Heil Hitler,” performed Nazi salutes, and otherwise tormented the Israeli team and its fans at the Paraguay-Israel soccer match on July 27. Stewards removed anti-Israel demonstrators from the stadium hosting the match as part of the Paris Olympics. At Israel’s previous match against Mali on July 24, a bomb scare prompted French police to cordon off areas near the venue. Separately, a false alarm at the airport prevented Israel’s president from deplaning for 40 minutes.
Expert Analysis
“Sports are supposed to bring people together to celebrate human achievement and the camaraderie of competition. Instead, anti-Israel protests have tarnished the sanctity of the Olympics by spreading hate and threatening the athletes.” — David May, FDD Research Manager and Senior Research Analyst
“The bitter irony of spectators waving a banner falsely accusing Israel of ‘genocide’ chanting Hitler’s name to emphasize their point shouldn’t be lost on anyone.”— Ben Cohen, FDD Senior Analyst and Rapid Response Manager
Israeli Delegation Faces Death Threats
On July 18 and 19, prior to the start of the games, 15 Israeli athletes and their teams received identical emails in Hebrew warning them they would be killed if they went to France. On July 25, Israel’s National Cyber Directorate concluded that Iranian hackers published the personal information of Israeli athletes and sent them threatening messages. On the same day, Israel’s foreign minister warned his French counterpart of an Iran-backed plot to target Israeli athletes and visitors. In response to the threats, France is escorting Israeli athletes to and from matches at the Olympics with elite tactical units and providing the Israelis with 24-hour protection.
Israeli Athletes Face Discrimination
Judo competitors from Morocco and Tajikistan refused to shake their Israeli opponent’s hand following their respective matches, contravening standard practice in the sport. Judo’s governing body is investigating a separate incident in which an Algerian failed to meet the weight requirement, allegedly intentionally so that he would not have to face his Israeli opponent on July 29. Additionally, Olympic officials denied an Iraqi request to “relocate or remove” an Israeli flag at a Lyon stadium that was next to an Iraqi flag.
Meanwhile, the International Olympic Committee has not allowed Israelis to wear yellow ribbons, which represent the campaign to free hostages held in Gaza. This is in line with Olympic regulations forbidding athletes from making political statements. However, Waseem Abu Sal, one of the Palestinian delegation’s two flag-bearers wore a shirt depicting a warplane dropping missiles on children playing sports. Abu Sal described the political nature of the shirt, which “represents the current picture in Palestine,” while the president of the Palestine Olympic Committee said Olympic officials approved the shirt.
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