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Belgian City Accused of Antisemitism for Banning Israeli Athletes From International Frisbee Tournament
People walk at a square where Israeli flags are displayed, amid the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel, in Tel Aviv, Israel, July 16, 2024. Photo: Reuters/Ricardo Moraes
The Belgian city of Ghent and organizers of an international frisbee tournament are being accused of antisemitism and discrimination after an Israeli delegation of athletes was prohibited from participating in or even being present at the competition that started this week.
A delegation of Israeli boys and girls aged 13 to 17 are in Belgium to compete in the Under-17 European Championship Frisbee Tournament in Ghent that was scheduled to start on Tuesday and run until Aug. 10 at the Blaarmeersen, a sports and recreation park in the city. A total of 33 Israeli athletes traveled to Belgium to compete in the open and mixed divisions of the tournament, which will feature teams from 11 countries.
The city of Ghent had moved all of Israel’s matches in the tournament to the Moerkensheide sports park in the municipal of De Pint, amid security concerns about the presence of Israeli athletes at the Blaarmeersen. However, anti-Israel activists vandalized the Moerkensheide on Monday night, spray-painting buildings in the park with the message “BOYCOTT ISRAHELL NOW!” After Monday night’s vandalism at Moerkensheide, the mayor of De Pint rescinded permission to have the Israeli delegation compete at the sports park.
In a statement posted on the official Instagram account of the Israeli Flying Disc Association, the Israeli delegation said that on the opening day of the tournament, early in the morning and mere hours before the athletes were ready to compete, they were informed that the entire Israeli delegation has been banned from the competition following the vandalism that took place the night before and because of “fear of pro-Palestinian demonstrations.” The Israeli athletes believe the decision was made because of “local antisemitism.”
“It makes no sense that 15-year-old players and players can’t play the sport they love so much because of politics and antisemitism,” they said in a released statement.
The Israel Flying Disc Association said in a separate statement: “We are mad. We are mad because we see this as a political decision and not a security related one. Our security detail repeatedly say that there is no risk in us coming to any of the fields. We are mad because the tournament was so eager to take up a role in preventing a team in participating or spectating the tournament, just because of their nationality, which is discrimination by definition.”
The European Ultimate Federation (EUF) and European Flying Disc Federation (EFDF), both of whom are organizing the tournament, announced on Tuesday that Ghent authorities made the decision to ban the Israeli delegation “given the current local and international unrest, threats and recent incidents.” They added that authorities have concerns “of high risk disturbance of public order, a significant threat and the inability to guarantee safety at the event if all teams were to participate as planned.”
The city of Ghent announced that it “prohibits the participation of the Israeli delegation” and “the presence of the Israeli delegation” in the Under-17 European Championship Frisbee Tournament. The city also said it forbids “any references related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict (such as flags, clothing, inscriptions, pamphlets, etc.) during the tournament due to safety risks, aiming to prevent potential escalation.”
All matches on Tuesday, which was supposed to be the first day of the tournament, were postponed until Wednesday at the Blaarmeersen.
The EUF and EFDF said they were “disappointed to have to make this sad announcement” but, nevertheless, they “must respect and follow the instructions given by the authorities and we must ensure that safety for all our participants, players, volunteers, and spectators is our number one priority.”
“EUF and EFDF recognizes this situation is sad, disappointing, and unfortunate, and we know that all players have come to Ghent to focus on playing Ultimate, to make new friends, and to create memories to last a lifetime,” the federations said. “We ask each and every participant, our Ultimate Community and all supporters to respect this decision and to show good Spirit both on and off the field to continue to promote Youth development within our sport.”
The Israel Flying Disc Association criticized tournament organizers, as well as Ghent authorities, for the decision.
“We are sad because we need to spend this morning explaining to 15-year-old boys and girls why the sport they love so much and is a sport that accepts anyone, from any race and origin, is having a competition where one specific nationality is not allowed to participate, and still the competition continues,” the association said. “Moreover, it is absurd that the Ghent police won’t do anything to make sure the event is secured and safe for everyone but will be there to ensure that no Israeli — 15-year-old girls and boys would be able to even get into the event.”
“The event organizers are even preventing us from arriving at the venue to contest the decision. This is exactly the opposite of Ultimate as a sport that communicates disagreements. This is discrimination,” the statement continued.
A municipal decree by Ghent states that in light of the “current precarious situation in the Middle East, in particular the conflict between Israel and Palestine … there is a high risk of disturbance of public order following the presence of an Israeli delegation at a public event” and also a “significant terrorist threat.”
“The presence and participation of the Israeli delegation in this tournament is a threat to public order and safety of the participants involved. For the sake of the aforementioned security problems, it is therefore absolutely necessary for the organizer to remand the Israeli delegation from the tournament,” the decree further stated, while additionally noting that “people and organizations” oppose Israel’s participation in the tournament because of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Ghent ruled that because of the open nature of the Blaarmeersen and its vastness, “safety cannot be guaranteed” at the park and “the areas can neither be shielded nor secured.”
“In addition, there is no security from the organization on site, nor are security measures currently being provided,” the city decree stated. It also mentioned other concerns that the city has, like the fact that the tournament is open to the public and expected to attract a large number of attendees. The decree additionally lists several anti-Israel protests, demonstrations, and vandalisms that have taken place in Ghent in the past year “resulting in a lot of disturbances and calamities.”
The city said all these reasons “show undeniably that the probability is very real that there will be actions if an Israeli team participates in a European championship, with all the consequences that entails. Taking this into account, it is clear that the public order and safety of the spectators and participants cannot be guaranteed if the tournament were to take place on the Blaarmeersen in the presence of an Israeli delegation.”
A number of Jewish groups condemned the decision to ban the Israeli delegation from the frisbee tournament, including the World Jewish Congress (WJC).
“Prohibiting Israelis from an international frisbee tournament highlights a troubling trend of xenophobia in sports,” WJC said in a statement shared on X/Twitter. “This move by the European Ultimate Federation should be unequivocally rejected. It undermines the principles of fairness and inclusivity and contradicts the core values of sportsmanship. Not allowing Israelis to play because THEY face security threats appeases those who might commit aggression and represents a total failure of to protect the victims of such bigoted threats.”
The Combat Antisemitism Movement said the “horrendous, spineless decision hands a win to the terrorists and their supporters.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) called the move “blatant discrimination.” The AJC said: “We are shocked that Israel’s National Ultimate Frisbee team, already victims of anti-Israel vandalism, has now been banned from the European Youth Ultimate Championship in Belgium ‘for their own safety.’ This is blatant discrimination! Jewish athletes should never be excluded due to antisemitism. Host countries must stand up to bigotry, not reward it.”
The post Belgian City Accused of Antisemitism for Banning Israeli Athletes From International Frisbee Tournament first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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US Official Calls Gaza Ceasefire Talks in Doha the Most Constructive in Months
An Israeli tank maneuvers, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, near the Israel-Gaza border, in Israel, July 9, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
The latest negotiations in Doha to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza and a hostage deal have been the most productive in months, and negotiators will reconvene next week in Cairo hoping to conclude it, a senior Biden administration official said on Friday.
“It was consensus of all of the participants over the past 48 hours that there’s really a new spirit here to drive it to a conclusion,” the official said, speaking to reporters on the condition of anonymity.
He still cautioned that work remained to be done.
“This is a very difficult, complex deal.”
On Friday, the US, with help from mediators Qatar and Egypt, put forward a bridging proposal the three countries believe would close all gaps between warring parties Israel and Hamas, the official said.
The past two days in Doha were probably “the most constructive 48 hours” that the parties have had in months, the official said.
“The Israeli team that was here was empowered … We made a lot of progress in the number of issues that we’ve been working on,” the official said.
The latest round in months of talks to end the war in Hamas-ruled Gaza began on Thursday between Israel and mediators. The Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was not directly involved in the talks but was kept briefed on progress.
The White House sent CIA Director Bill Burns and US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk. Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence chief Abbas Kamel were also taking part.
The negotiations took place in the shadow of a feared regional escalation. Iran, which backs Hamas, has threatened to retaliate against Israel after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
There will be engagements over the course of next week between working groups that will discuss everything from the list of hostages, the sequence by which the hostages would be released and the Palestinian prisoners.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will travel to Israel on Sunday.
The conflict began on Oct. 7 when Hamas fighters rampaged into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and seizing around 250 hostages. Israel responded with a military campaign in neighboring Gaza aimed at freeing the hostages and dismantling Hamas’ military and governing capabilities.
The Israeli military says it has eliminated 17,000 terrorists in Gaza during its campaign.
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Court injunction at Vancouver Island University ends the campus encampment trend (for now)
A Supreme Court of British Columbia justice in Vancouver issued an injunction to Vancouver Island University on Aug. 15 to remove a pro-Palestinian encampment, the last of its kind at a Canadian university, from its campus in Nanaimo within 72 hours, or by Aug, 18 at 9:30 a.m. PDT. Jewish organizations were pleased by the […]
The post Court injunction at Vancouver Island University ends the campus encampment trend (for now) appeared first on The Canadian Jewish News.
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‘Token Ethnic President’: Pro-Hamas Crowd Launches Racist Verbal Assault on Black Americans Over Harris Support
Anti-Zionist TikTok user calls African Americans “disgusting” for supporting Kamala Harris. Photo: Screenshot
Anti-Zionist activists recently launched a barrage of racist attacks against African Americans on social media, triggering an exchange of insults as well as arguments over the Arab world’s role in enslaving Black Africans.
“Black people also wear a uniform and get on a plane and come to our countries and kill us!” one influencer said in a compilation of TikTok posts shared by pro-Israel activist Hen Mazzig. “You vote the same f—king melanated f—king people to government that sign papers to kill us. I don’t want to hear it anymore!”
“Keep Palestinians names out of your f—king mouths when you’re trying to defend your decision for voting for Kamala,” another said, referring to Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris, who is Black.
TikTok user “Dan1ahan” charged that Black Americans “switched up 180 on Palestinians and people who are Palestinian activists the second we have a Black woman running for office,” describing the alleged betrayal as “disgusting.” Touching on the upcoming US presidential election, one Arab woman said all Black people want is a “token ethnic president” in office.
Black TikTok influencers descended on the platform in droves to denounce the comments, with several announcing that they intended not only to remove Gaza-related content from their profiles but also to cease engaging in anti-Zionist activity entirely. The conversation escalated in subsequent posts, touching on the continuance of Black slavery in the Arab world and what young woman called “voracious racism” against African Americans.
“What’s even crazier is that earlier people were like, oh these are bots, no — this is how people really feel. And she made a video that’s a real human being that feels exactly that way,” an African American woman said. “These are people who feel like they are entitled to the support of Black people no matter what, that they get to push us around and tell us who the hell we get to vote for if we support them … They’ve lost their minds.”
An African American male said, “Why don’t we talk about the Arab slave trade? And keep in mind that the Arabs have enslaved more Black people than the Europeans combined.” Another African American woman accused Arabs of not denouncing slavery in Antebellum America.
“We spend our money with you,” she said. “We stand in solidarity with you, and you keep asking for more, and more, and more, and it’s never enough.”
This is not the first time that anti-Zionists have hurled racist abuse and expletives at Black Americans while denigrating their accomplishments and status as full citizens of the United States.
In April, an anti-Zionist student group at George Washington University (GWU) in Washington, DC staged an unprecedented protest of a talk by US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield at the university’s Elliot School of International Affairs.
“Zionist imperial puppet,” “imperial and blackface,” and “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” were among the chants yelled by members of the Student Coalition for Palestine (GWSCP) outside the building — a clamoring which could be heard throughout the Elliot School. Thomas-Greenfield was at GWU to speak at an event held to encourage Black youth to pursue careers in foreign affairs. GWSCP protested her appearance because she had vetoed multiple UN Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has been waging a military campaign against Hamas following the terrorist group’s Oct. 7 massacre of Israeli civilians.
In a pamphlet distributed to everyone who showed up to the event, the students accused Greenfield of being a “puppet,” alluding to the fact that she is a Black woman holding a distinguished presidential appointment. GWSCP seemed to suggest that the color of Greenfield’s skin excluded the possibility that she is an agent of her own destiny.
“For as long as we have been here, we have resisted these systems of oppression, but the United States of Amerikkka [sic] has always used Black bodies as puppets to carry out repression and dissent,” the pamphlet said. It also compared Greenfield to Black enslaved persons who had been assigned, against their will, to work as overseers of other enslaved persons on cotton plantations.
Later, according to GWU’s official student newspaper, the group encircled Dean of Student Affairs Colette Coleman, an African American woman, outside the building. One member of the group began “clapping in her face” while others screamed that she should resign.
That same month, at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee, anti-Zionists occupying an administrative building verbally abused a Black officer, whom they accused of betraying his racial identity. “Shame on you!” they shouted at him. Someone else said, “You are Black in America, and you’re not standing with the marginalized people of the world. What does that make you?”
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post ‘Token Ethnic President’: Pro-Hamas Crowd Launches Racist Verbal Assault on Black Americans Over Harris Support first appeared on Algemeiner.com.