The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee has called for Israel to be barred from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
In an exclusive interview with DW, Jibril Rajoub cited several examples in which he says Israel violated the Olympic Charter, the rules governing the Olympic Games.
Rajoub, who also serves as president of the Palestine Football Association (PFA), said: Israel has claimed that around 300 athletes and officials have been killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip since it declared war on Oct. 7, 2023, following a Hamas-led terrorist attack.
Sports stadiums used for “arrest and humiliation”
Rajoub said all sports facilities in the Gaza Strip had been destroyed and some stadiums had been used “as places for arrests, investigations and the humiliation of people in shameful ways.”
In December 2023, a video circulated on social media showing detained Palestinians stripped to their underwear, blindfolded and kneeling in a row inside Yarmouk Stadium in Gaza City, one of the largest and oldest stadiums in Gaza. Palestinians who were in the stadium had reportedly been taking refuge from Israeli bombardment before Israeli forces took control of the stadium.
Under international law, detainees must not be subjected to unnecessary humiliation, and the Israeli army told British broadcaster Sky News at the time that it often had to search the clothing of terrorism suspects.
“All of these incidents have put Israel in a position where it should be barred from participating,” Rajoub said. “This is our position: We want the Olympic movement to keep Israel out.”
“As long as the Israelis are not willing to confront their government about its violations, they are part of the system.”
Yael Arad, president of the Israeli Olympic Committee, declined a request to be interviewed for this article.
Israeli Olympic Judo Athlete Palchik Gains Attention
Rajoub also criticized the relationship between Israeli athletes and the IDF, citing judoka Peter Palczyk, who will be competing in his second Olympic Games in Paris, as an example of an athlete who is “empowering” the Israeli military.
At a news conference earlier this month, Rajoub held up printouts of Palchik's social media posts, including a photo of several signed missiles and the words “From me to you, with joy.”
“He signed for the missiles and is sending them as gifts to the children of Gaza,” Rajoub told DW.
The Israel Judo Federation said on Palchik's behalf: “We do not mix politics and sport, but Rajoub is lying to the world (as usual). Peter himself did not sign anything.”
“Hamas targets civilians and uses them as human shelters. [sic]Not the Israeli military. The photo says, 'Hamas is ISIS,' and says nothing about children or civilians.”
But in an email to DW, the federation said it could not reveal who signed the missile or why it bears the word “ippon,” the highest score in judo and meaning instant victory.
Rajoub reports 'violations' to IOC President Bach
Asked for comment on Rajoub's interview and Palchik's social media posts, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) referred DW to Palestinian media reports. Here is a summary of a recent phone call between Rajoub and IOC President Thomas Bach.
According to the report, Rajoub “informed Bach about violations of Palestinian sporting rights by Israeli military forces, as well as violations by some Israeli athletes and official Israeli sports institutions.”
Meanwhile, Bach reportedly “expressed his support for the Palestinian athletes, given the difficult situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.”
The IOC said in a summary of the call that it had “nothing to add.”
Bach told reporters in March that it was “absolutely fine” for Israeli athletes not to take part in the Olympics.
Controversy intensifies over Israel's Olympic participation
Rajoub has long taken a tough stance against Israel in his role as president of the Palestinian Olympic Association, but his comments mark an intensification of rhetoric from Palestinian Olympic officials.
“We avoid talking about political issues. Our field is sport. Israel's participation in the Olympics is not an issue we discuss,” Nader Jayoussi, the Palestinian team's technical director, said in an interview with French international broadcaster France 24 in April.
“I separate politics from sport,” Rajoub told DW, but questioned whether Israel was complying with IOC rules that state the practice of sport is a human right.
“If they are really following the rules, why ignore the violations by their military and attacks on our athletes and sports facilities?” Rajoub asked.
“There is no doubt that Israel's participation would pose political, security and moral costs to the Olympics.”
Editor: Matt Pearson
