Jibril Rajoub: I will not ask Palestinian athletes to withdraw in front of the Israelis

Mark
Written By Mark

The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, said that he will not ask his athletes currently participating in the Olympic Games to withdraw if they are drawn with Israeli players, in parallel with the ongoing war in Gaza. In more than one previous case, Arab athletes withdrew from international forums to avoid facing Israeli athletes in rejection of normalization, which exposed them to suspension penalties from international federations.
Rajoub said, “First of all, I will not give such instructions and I will not give them (to withdraw). But you can ask the athletes. One of them lost eighty people from his family and relatives.”
“I will never ask for this. I ask the athletes to abide by the Olympic Charter,” Rajoub added. Asked whether he would punish athletes who withdraw from a match against an Israeli, Rajoub left the ball in his athletes’ court. “My instructions are clear. The one who violates the Olympic Charter is Israel. Did the International Olympic Committee act in relation to the Palestinian issue in accordance with the Olympic Charter? Then the Palestinian athletes can be judged.”