In just a few weeks, on July 26, the 2024 Olympic Games will kick off in Paris, bringing joy, excitement and, perhaps most importantly, a renewed sense of human solidarity into the lives of sports fans around the world.
Millions of people from Africa to Asia, Europe to the Americas will be glued to their television screens to watch athletes in their countries’ colours compete to become the best and celebrate their successes as their own. Children in particular will be able to see what can be achieved through determination and hard work and how sport can bring people together.
For Palestinians struggling to survive Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the 2024 Olympics will be nothing more than further confirmation of the world’s apparent indifference to their suffering.
Millions of Palestinian children, maimed, orphaned, displaced and traumatized by Israeli aggression, will not even know about the global sports competition taking place in France. They will be too busy searching for water, food and shelter, mourning their loved ones killed, their homes destroyed and their futures stolen, to pay attention to who runs the fastest or jumps the highest in Paris.
Since October 7, the besieged Gaza Strip has been the scene of an unprecedented tragedy. According to conservative estimates, in just over nine months, the Israeli army has killed more than 38,000 people and injured nearly 90,000. This includes more than 15,000 children. Many more children have been left without parents. The Israeli offensive has also destroyed most of the schools and hospitals in the Gaza Strip. No university remains standing. Once home to more than two million people, much of Gaza is now in ruins.
In this unprecedented context, the Olympic Games should not take place, as if nothing had happened, with the participation of Israel.
According to the Olympic Charter, the Games aim to create a way of life based, among other things, on “respect for internationally recognized human rights and universal fundamental ethical principles.”
Since its inception, Israel has flagrantly violated human rights and “universal fundamental ethical principles” without any consequences.
For 76 years, Israel has meticulously enforced an apartheid regime over the Palestinians and has shown itself incapable of respecting international humanitarian law or fundamental Olympic values.
Among its gross and widespread violations are the widespread confiscation of Palestinian land and property, unlawful killings, forced displacement, severe restrictions on movement, arbitrary detentions and the denial of nationality and citizenship to Palestinians.
And for nine months, he has been engaged in a genocidal war against the Palestinians of Gaza.
Israel’s participation in this year’s Olympics while it continues to massacre Palestinians on a daily basis would be a monumental mistake. It would not only disregard Olympic values, but would also embolden the Israeli government to continue killing innocent Palestinian men, women and children.
Some argue that Israel should be allowed to participate because “politics and sports should be kept separate,” while others argue that Israel should not be punished for “defending itself against Hamas.” None of these arguments are valid. The killing of children, the systematic destruction of schools, the destruction of hospitals are not “acts of self-defense” or mere political disagreements that can be set aside for the sake of sport. They are crimes against humanity that should not be ignored or excused in any context. Any state that engages in such crimes should be condemned and banned globally.
In February, a group of 26 French parliamentarians called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude Israel from participating in the upcoming Paris Olympics. They insisted that Israeli athletes compete under a neutral flag, like Russian and Belarusian athletes who are scheduled to compete at this year’s Games because of their countries’ continued aggression against Ukraine.
Palestinian sports clubs, youth centres and civil society organisations also called on the IOC to respect its principles and fulfil its obligations. They called for Israel’s exclusion from the Olympics, at least until it gets rid of its apartheid system.
This move is not without precedent in history. Apartheid South Africa was banned from participating in the 1964 and 1968 Olympic Games. And in May 1970, it was simply excluded.
South Africa’s exclusion from the Olympics is a consequence of its violation of the first rule of the Olympic Charter, which clearly prohibits discrimination against a country or individual on the grounds of race, religion or political affiliation. The country was only readmitted to the Olympic fold after the fall of apartheid in 1991.
It is truly shameful that the IOC, which did the right thing by excluding apartheid South Africa from the Games and taking significant steps to limit the participation of Russia and Belarus this year, seems unwilling to do the same with respect to apartheid Israel.
As officials refuse to uphold Olympic values and exclude Israel, it will be our shared responsibility at this year’s Games to keep the spotlight on Israel’s continuing crimes against the Palestinians.
Spectators in Paris will be able to express their views on Palestine by chanting slogans and demonstrating. Athletes will also be able to take advantage of the spotlight that will be on them to draw attention to Gaza. They will be able to organize their own protests or at least show their solidarity with the Palestinians by wearing a keffiyeh on their shoulders when they are in front of the cameras.
The Olympic Games are precious because, for two short weeks, they bring together the nations of the world in friendly competition, reminding us of our common humanity and the beauty of human solidarity.
If Israel is allowed to participate without protest or opposition, especially this year while it is committing genocide against a people living under its occupation, the Games will lose all meaning and become just another empty spectacle organized to entertain the masses and increase consumption.
While the IOC seems unwilling to uphold Olympic values and do the right thing, it is up to us, as citizens of the world, to ensure that the Games serve their purpose and promote “human rights” and “universal fundamental ethical principles.”
We owe a lot to the suffering of the Palestinians for a long time.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial position of Tel Aviv Tribune.