Pretoria – The Department of Sports Arts and Culture in South Africa has condemned Israel’s participation in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Israel is engaged in a nine-month war in Gaza in which about 40 000 Palestinians – many of them children – have been killed.
Israel’s Under-23 men’s football team endured a torrid time Wednesday when they played against Mali in their first Group D match at the Paris Games.
The Israelis secured a 1-1 draw amid boos from Palestinian sympathisers, some of them displaying placards that denounced the “war on Gaza”.
Protestors also distributed leaflets that read “Gaza: Silence kills,” while others wore “Free Palestine” t-shirts.
The South African Department of Sports Arts and Culture released a statement, coinciding with the opening ceremony on Friday, in which it condemned the “participation of the genocidal state of Israel in the Paris 2024 Olympics”.
The department said Israel’s participation “seriously undermines the principles of Olympism which includes universality and solidarity, unity in diversity, autonomy, and good governance, sustainability”.
The department added: “We view this participation as grossly inhuman, and indicative of scant regard for thousands of Palestinian lives lost as a result of continued genocide by Israel against women, children, men, the elderly, and the sick”.
South Africa is awaiting the outcome of a matter it took to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in which it alleges that Israel is responsible for violations in Gaza of the Genocide Convention.
Israel, which insists that it is “defending itself”, rejects the accusations of genocide and ignores interim measures to protect Palestinians ordered by the ICJ also known as the World Court in The Hague.
Cases brought to the ICJ take years to come to judgment.
The violence was sparked on October 7 last year when Hamas militias crossed into Israel and killed at least 1 200 Israelis and kidnapped more than 200 others.
Since then Israel has retaliated with overwhelming force that includes air attacks on Gaza.
The department of sports on Friday stated: “The people of Palestine continue to face the barrage of attacks and dehumanisation despite the ICJ rulings on provisional measures in the case taken by South Africa against Israel under the Genocide Convention to cease its military attacks and allow sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza”.
The statement added: “As was the case with apartheid South Africa, there can be no normal sport with an abnormal society and the genocidal state of Israel should not be allowed to participate in the Olympics as its conduct is in direct contravention of the Olympics’ values of excellence, respect and friendship.
“We call upon all peace-loving nations to shun the genocidal Israel state and pledge solidarity with Palestinians who will continue to face bombardment by the same Israel that will be participating in the Olympics.”
