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Swiss Ambassador to Israel Criticizes Fencers for Disrespecting Israeli National Anthem at European Championships
Swiss athletes refuse to face the Israeli flag during the playing of the Israeli national anthem at the European U23 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, on April 26, 2025. Photo: Team Bizzi
Switzerland’s Ambassador to Israel Simon Geissbühler on Sunday sharply criticized the actions of the Swiss fencing team, which showed disrespect when the Israeli national anthem played at the European U23 Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, this past weekend.
Israel’s under-23 men’s epée team took home the gold medal at the international competition while Switzerland won silver, followed by Italy, which won bronze. The Israeli fencing team included fencers Alon Sarid, Feodor Khapersky, Yehonathan Messika, and Itamar Tavor.
During Saturday’s medal ceremony, Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” played, in honor of the gold medal winners. Both the Israeli and Italian teams turned toward the Israeli flag while the song played, but the Swiss team remained facing forward. The Swiss team was comprised of fencers Ian Hauri, Théo Brochard, Jonathan Fuhrimann, and Sven Vineis.
“Personally, but also on behalf of Swiss Fencing, I deplore the behavior of our athletes,” Geissbühler wrote in a letter on Sunday, as cited by several news outlets. “An award ceremony must under no circumstances be misused for political statements – despite every athlete’s right to have their own opinion on political conflicts and wars.” He added that the actions of the Swiss team were “not discussed with anyone in advance,” and said the Swiss Fencing Association will speak to the athletes when they return home “and then decide on the next steps.”
The Swiss Fencing Association said in a statement on Facebook that the Swiss athletes “abused the victory ceremony for a political manifestation.”
“In principle, Swiss Fencing is of the opinion that sporting competitions are not suitable for political opinions, even though athletes are allowed to have their personal opinions on world events,” the association further noted. “Swiss Fencing will discuss with the U23 team after the athletes return from Estonia and then decide on necessary measures. We regret that this behavior hurts the feelings of the Israeli delegation and discredit the sporting achievements of the Swiss team with three medals at this U23 European Championship. We congratulate the Israeli team for winning the gold medal in the team competition.”
The federation pointed out that the Swiss team did congratulate the Israeli winners after the final. The Swiss athletes reportedly shook hands with their Israeli counterparts.
Ambassador of Israel to Switzerland Ifat Reshef also commented on the ordeal that took place at the European U23 Championships. In a post on X, she congratulated Team Israel on their win and added, “We definitely expected from our Swiss friends better sportsmanship (and better knowledge of facts and understanding of the real situation).”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said the Swiss athletes are an “embarrassment” to their home country. He wrote in a post on X: “Shame on the Swiss team for their disrespectful behavior. you [sic] don’t know how to lose and behaved in a manner which is an embarrassment to you and the country you’re supposed to represent.”
Israel Olympic Committee chairwoman and International Olympic Committee member Yael Arad also reportedly condemned their behavior in a Facebook post. She described their actions as a “provocation” that contradict Olympic values and Switzerland’s position on terrorism, after the Swiss parliamentary committee voted to ban Hamas following the deadly Oct. 7 terrorist attacks in 2023.
“The Swiss under-23 team chose to cope with the loss on the podium as the anthem was being played with provocative losing chutzpah that utterly contravenes not only Olympic values, but also the fact that Switzerland declared Hamas an illegal murderous terrorist organization after Oct. 7,” Arad, who is the first Israeli to ever win an Olympic medal with her silver in judo in 1992, reportedly wrote.
“Their failure to respect sportsmanship speaks volumes about them as athletes and young people,” she added. “I would expect them to set aside differences and show mutual respect, especially after such a decisive loss.”
The Israeli fencing team that competed in the European U23 Championships was coached by Alexander Ivanov. The team ranked seventh when they entered the competition, and their win is Israel’s first team gold at the European U-23 Championships since the 2022 win by Dar Hecht in the women’s division.
The Israeli women’s fencing team that competed in the European U23 Championships was also victorious this weekend. The women’s épée fencing team —comprised of Mihal Shukurov, Viki Ossipov, Yuval Yizhaki, and Tamara Lando — won bronze on Sunday.
The post Swiss Ambassador to Israel Criticizes Fencers for Disrespecting Israeli National Anthem at European Championships first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with government officials in Tehran, Iran, April 15, 2025. Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader/WANA (West Asia News Agency)/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused Donald Trump on Saturday of lying when the US president said during his Gulf tour this week that he wanted peace in the region.
On the contrary, said Khamenei, the United States uses its power to give “10-ton bombs to the Zionist (Israeli) regime to drop on the heads of Gaza’s children.”
Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates on Friday that Iran had to move quickly on a US proposal for its nuclear program or “something bad’s going to happen.”
His remarks, said Khamenei, “aren’t even worth responding to.” They are an “embarrassment to the speaker and the American people,” Khamenei added.
“Undoubtedly, the source of corruption, war, and conflict in this region is the Zionist regime — a dangerous, deadly cancerous tumor that must be uprooted; it will be uprooted,” he said at an event at a religious center in Tehran, according to state media.
Earlier on Saturday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Trump speaks about peace while simultaneously making threats.
“Which should we believe?” Pezeshkian said at a naval event in Tehran. “On the one hand, he speaks of peace and on the other, he threatens with the most advanced tools of mass killing.”
Tehran would continue Iran-US nuclear talks but is not afraid of threats. “We are not seeking war,” Pezeshkian said.
While Trump said on Friday that Iran had a US proposal about its nuclear program, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi in a post on X said Tehran had not received any such proposal. “There is no scenario in which Iran abandons its hard-earned right to (uranium) enrichment for peaceful purposes…” he said.
Araqchi warned on Saturday that Washington’s constant change of stance prolongs nuclear talks, state TV reported.
“It is absolutely unacceptable that America repeatedly defines a new framework for negotiations that prolongs the process,” the broadcast quoted Araqchi as saying.
Pezeshkian said Iran would not “back down from our legitimate rights”.
“Because we refuse to bow to bullying, they say we are source of instability in the region,” he said.
A fourth round of Iran-U.S. talks ended in Oman last Sunday. A new round has not been scheduled yet.
The post Iran’s Supreme Leader Says Trump Is Lying When He Speaks of Peace first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday
Doha, Qatar. Photo: StellarD via Wikimedia Commons.
A new round of Gaza ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel is underway in Qatar’s Doha, Hamas official Taher al-Nono told Reuters on Saturday.
He said the two sides were discussing all issues without “pre-conditions.”
Nono said Hamas was “keen to exert all the effort needed” to help mediators make the negotiations a success, adding there was “no certain offer on the table.”
The negotiations come despite Israel preparing to expand operations in the Gaza Strip as they seek “operational control” in some areas of the war-torn enclave.
The return to negotiations also comes after US President Donald Trump ended a Middle East tour on Friday with no apparent progress towards a new ceasefire, although he acknowledged Gaza’s growing hunger crisis and the need for aid deliveries.
The post Hamas Confirms New Gaza Ceasefire Talks with Israel in Qatar on Saturday first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe
International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan speaks during an interview with Reuters in The Hague, Netherlands, Feb. 12, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
i24 News – Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan has stepped down temporarily as an investigation into his alleged sexual misconduct by United Nations investigators is nearing its final phase, Reuters reported on Friday citing sources from the international court.
Khan allegedly forced sexual intercourse upon a member of staff on multiple occasions, the Wall Street Journal reported last week, linking the allegations to Khan’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yoav Gallant.
A statement is expected later today announcing that Khan is going on administrative leave, according to a source in the prosecutor’s office.
The post Report: ICC’s Khan Goes on Administrative Leave Amid Sexual Misconduct Probe first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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