Palestinian Olympics chief calls minute of silence requests ‘racism’

[Mosby]

TEL AVIV (JTA) -- The head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee called the campaign to hold a minute of silence for the 11 Israelis murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics “racism.”

In a letter written to International Olympic Committee head Jacques Rogge, Jibril Rajoub wrote that “Sports are a bridge for love, communication and the spreading of peace between nations and should not be used for divisiveness and the spread of racism,” according to the Times of Israel, citing the media watchdog group Palestinian Media Watch.

http://www.jta.org/news/article/2012/07/26/3101816/palestinian-olympic-committee-head-calls-minute-of-silence-requests-racism


In other Olympic news:


Lebanese Olympic judo team refuses to practice next to Israelis

he Lebanese judo team at the 2012 London Olympics refused to practice next to the Israeli one on Friday afternoon, and a makeshift barrier was erected to split their gym into two halves.

According to several Hebrew sports sites, the two teams were scheduled to use the same gym and mats at London’s new ExCeL center for their final preparations. However, the delegation from Lebanon would not train in view of the Israeli team, and insisted some sort of barrier be placed between them.

Organizers accepted the Lebanese coach’s demand to separate the teams, erecting a barrier so that the Lebanese team wouldn’t see the Israeli one.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/lebanese-olympic-judo-team-refuses-to-practice-next-to-israelis/

[Raster]

1. I'm sorry. Eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped, held hostage and then brutally murdered...

...while participating in the Munich Olympics. A moment of silence IS ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE and is in NO WAY racist.

Get over it.

[azurnoir]

2. It is indeed unfortunate that the IOC is refusing this

does that make the IOC antisemetic and if the answer is yes by extension might the Olympics themselves be also antisemitic, if they are being run by an antisemitic committee?

[Mosby]

3. I don't know what their thought process was

So I think it's best not to assume that their decision was due to anti-semitism.

The stmt from the head of the Palestinian team is anti-semitic as is the request from the Lebanese coach.

[azurnoir]

5. seems Anke Spitzer disagrees with you

Spitzer declared the IOC’s continued refusal is evidence of it being “a corrupt organisation, led by greed rather than the Olympic spirit”, adding that “the IOC’s refusal is pure discrimination – greed and anti-Semitism”.

http://www.ejpress.org/article/news/uk/60269

and just to give credit where it's due

http://www.democraticunderground.com/113414401

[sho_bitsawwi]

6. Anti-Semtic, a term so misused

Israel is anti-semitic too....considering Arabs are also semites.

[King_David]

7. You are clueless as to what the term anti-semite means.

Do a little research.

[King_David]

4. This must be the reason the IOC are refusing nt

[Sam1]

8. To bad that the term racist was used by the Palestinian.

Maybe a request for a moment of silence for those killed by the Israelis in operation cast lead or those wounded by the use of white phosphors munitions would have been be in order. Or how about a moment of silence for the innocent muslim killed in Norway by the Israelis in their quest for vengeance against those who killed the athletics.

I see nothing racist or anti-semitic in the request for separation by the Jordanians but rather a protest against Israelis "my way or the highway" behavior toward the Palestinians.

[eyl]

9. Did any of those events have anything to do with the Olympics?

No? Then you're drawing a false equivalence.

[azurnoir]

10. I wonder if the I/P situation had been settled (no puns) in what ever form that may take

would this have been as controversial an issue as it is?