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Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics
Paris 2024 Olympics – Judo – Women -78 kg Victory Ceremony – Champ-de-Mars Arena, Paris, France – August 01, 2024. Silver medallist Inbar Lanir of Israel celebrates. Photo: REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi
It’s amazing how quickly things can change.
After five days of these 2024 Olympics, Israel hadn’t done anything to write home about — the most significant results were gymnast Artem Dolgopyat qualifying for the floor final, and the men’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team qualifying for their final.
All that changed on Day 6.
For the first ever time, Israel won two Olympic medals in a single day — both of them in Judo.
Peter Paltchik started the day looking focused after defeating his Mongolian opponent in the first round. Then he had to take on a hometown Frenchman in the Round of 16.
Even though the Israeli was significantly higher in the rankings and considerably more experienced, the Frenchman was buoyed by the enthusiastic crowd and held his own with Paltchik. The match went on for an unusual amount of time: first through the four minutes of regulation and then another four or so minutes until Paltchik finally won.
Next up, he competed against the world champion from Azerbaijan. Paltchik looked like he leveled it up in the last 10 seconds, only for the point to be canceled on review. He then defeated a Dutch opponent, meaning he was playing Daniel Eich of Switzerland for a bronze medal.
With just 10 seconds to go and in the lead, it appeared he might be disqualified, but it was negated on review, leaving him to win the bronze, just like his coach Oren Smadja did 32 years ago.
Another 32-year first was an Israeli in an Olympic Judo final.
Inbar Lanir had a first-round bye, and then steamrolled her way through the competition defeating opponents from Mongolia, the Netherlands, and then Germany. In the final, she was up against the Italian, Alice Bellandi. Bellandi seemed more prepared for Lanir than the Israeli’s previous opponents, and Lanir was lacking a Plan B. With Bellandi up a point and the clock winding down, Lanir received a third yellow card and that was that.
But it was still an incredible achievement to win Israel’s second ever silver medal.
Lanir and Paltchik joined sailor Gal Fridman as the only Israelis to win multiple Olympic medals.
Also on Day 6, the jumping team of Daniel Bluman, Ashlee Bond, and Robin Muhr qualified in 9th position for the 10-team final, which is happening on Day 7.
The windsurfing competition concludes in Marseille on Friday, and Sharon Kantor and Tom Reuveny are both in the semi-final of their respective competitions. Only four competitors make the semi-final, and if they finish in the top two of the semi-final, they’re guaranteed to win a medal.
While the medalists get all the attention and plaudits, every single one of our Olympians has done a remarkable job just to get there — and has inspired generations of Israeli children who see what’s possible in each of their individual sports.
These athletes have inspired the next generation of Israelis to follow in their footsteps and become champion archers, triathletes, fencers, surfers, or whatever sport they want to play.
David Wiseman is the co-founder of Follow Team Israel, a page that shares the stories of Israeli sports to the world. You can find it on Facebook and Instagram. He is also the head of online reputation management at Buzzdealer.
The post Israelis Won Medals and Performed Remarkably on Day 6 of the Olympics first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Rubio Heads to Israel Amid Tensions Among US Middle East Allies
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to members of the media, before departing for Israel at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, September 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Nathan Howard/Pool
US President Donald Trump’s top diplomat, Marco Rubio headed to Israel on Saturday, amid tensions with fellow US allies in the Middle East over Israel’s strike on Hamas leaders in Qatar and expansion of settlements in the West Bank.
Speaking to reporters before departure, Rubio reiterated that the US and President Donald Trump were not happy about the strikes.
Rubio said the US relationship with Israel would not be affected, but that he would discuss with the Israelis how the strike would affect Trump’s desire to secure the return of all the hostages held by Hamas, get rid of the terrorists and end the Gaza war.
“What’s happened, has happened,” he said. “We’re gonna meet with them. We’re gonna talk about what the future holds,” he said.
“There are still 48 hostages that deserve to be released immediately, all at once. And there is still the hard work ahead once this ends, of rebuilding Gaza in a way that provides people the quality of life that they all want.”
Rubio said it had yet to be determined who would do that, who would pay for it and who would be in charge of the process.
After Israel, Rubio is due to join Trump’s planned visit to Britain next week.
Hamas still holds 48 hostages, and Qatar has been one of the mediators, along with the US, trying to secure a ceasefire deal that would include the captives’ release.
On Tuesday, Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an airstrike on Doha. US officials described it as a unilateral escalation that did not serve American or Israeli interests.
The strike on the territory of a close US ally sparked broad condemnation from other Arab states and derailed ceasefire and hostage talks brokered by Qatar.
On Friday, Rubio met with Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani at the White House, underscoring competing interests in the region that Rubio will seek to balance on his trip. Later that day, US President Donald Trump held dinner with the prime minister in New York.
Rubio’s trip comes ahead of high-level meetings at the United Nations in New York later this month. Countries including France and Britain are expected to recognize Palestinian statehood, a move opposed by Israel.
Washington says such recognition would bolster Hamas and Rubio has suggested the move could spur the annexation of the West Bank sought by hardline members of the Israeli government.
ON Thursday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed an agreement to push ahead with a settlement expansion plan that would cut across West Bank land that the Palestinians seek for a state. Last week, the United Arab Emirates warned that this would cross a red line and undermine the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords that normalized UAE-Israel relations in 2020.
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Netanyahu Posts Message Appearing to Confirm Hamas Leaders Survived Doha Strike
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during a Plenum session of the Knesset, Israel’s Parliament, in Jerusalem, June 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
i24 News – In a statement posted to social media on Saturday evening, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the Qatar-based leadership of Hamas, reiterating that the jihadist group had to regard for the lives of Gazans and represented an obstacle to ending the war and releasing the Israelis it held hostage.
The wording of Netanyahu’s message appeared to confirm that the strike targeting the Hamas leaders in Doha was not crowned with success.
“The Hamas terrorists chiefs living in Qatar don’t care about the people in Gaza,” wrote Netanyahu. “They blocked all ceasefire attempts in order to endlessly drag out the war.” He added that “Getting rid of them would rid the main obstacle to releasing all our hostages and ending the war.”
Israel is yet to officially comment on the result of the strike, which has incurred widespread international criticism.
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Trump Hosts Qatari Prime Minister After Israeli Attack in Doha
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani attends an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council, following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders in Doha, Qatar, at UN headquarters in New York City, US, Sept. 11, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz
US President Donald Trump held dinner with the Qatari prime minister in New York on Friday, days after US ally Israel attacked Hamas leaders in Doha.
Israel attempted to kill the political leaders of Hamas with an attack in Qatar on Tuesday, a strike that risked derailing US-backed efforts to broker a truce in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-old conflict. The attack was widely condemned in the Middle East and beyond as an act that could escalate tensions in a region already on edge.
Trump expressed annoyance about the strike in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and sought to assure the Qataris that such attacks would not happen again.
Trump and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani were joined by a top Trump adviser, US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
“Great dinner with POTUS. Just ended,” Qatar’s deputy chief of mission, Hamah Al-Muftah, said on X.
The White House confirmed the dinner had taken place but offered no details.
The session followed an hour-long meeting that al-Thani had at the White House on Friday with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
A source briefed on the meeting said they discussed Qatar’s future as a mediator in the region and defense cooperation in the wake of the Israeli strikes against Hamas in Doha.
Trump said he was unhappy with Israel’s strike, which he described as a unilateral action that did not advance US or Israeli interests.
Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally. Qatar has been a main mediator in long-running negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza, for the release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza and for a post-conflict plan for the territory.
Al-Thani blamed Israel on Tuesday for trying to sabotage chances for peace but said Qatar would not be deterred from its role as mediator.