Israelis not welcome at Paris Olympics, says French MP, Sparks Row

Paris:

A prominent French Jewish group on Sunday criticized a far-left lawmaker for saying Israeli athletes would not be welcome at the Paris Olympics starting next week because of the war in Gaza, calling the comments “irresponsible.”

France Unbowed (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes was “putting a target on the backs of Israeli athletes,” said Yonathan Arfi, head of the Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France, on X.

Portes told a rally in support of the Palestinians that “the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Paris Olympic Games” and called for “mobilization” around the event.

He later told the Parisien newspaper that “French diplomats should pressure the International Olympic Committee to ban Israel’s flag and anthem, as is done for Russia.”

“It’s time to end the double standard,” Portes added.

Opposition to Israel’s campaign in Gaza was a centerpiece of the LFI’s campaign ahead of last month’s European elections.

The Hamas-run territory’s Health Ministry said on Sunday that nearly 39,000 people had been killed in the fighting, sparked by the bloody Oct. 7 attacks carried out by Hamas.

The perceived ambiguity in the LFI’s response to the October massacre broke up an alliance of left-wing parties, who reluctantly reformed for this month’s parliamentary elections, but who have since struggled to find common ground despite coming first. .

Crif head Arfi said that Israeli athletes “were already those most in danger at the Olympic Games”, recalling the 11 “murdered by Palestinian terrorists” in 1972 at the Munich Games.

In addition to the Jewish group, Portes was also attacked by nominal parliamentary allies of the Socialist Party and the conservatives.

“Of course, Israeli athletes are welcome, as are all sportspeople from around the world. Not because of who they are, but because of what they do”, posted socialist deputy Jerome Guedj.

Some LFI lawmakers spoke out in support of Portes.

“The Israeli flag, stained with the blood of Gaza’s innocents, should not be raised in Paris this summer,” wrote Rep. Aymeric Caron.

The Israeli national football team will play its first Olympic match against Mali at the Parc des Prince stadium in Paris on Wednesday, two days before the opening ceremony.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office said on Sunday that he would take part in Friday’s boat parade on the River Seine and a commemoration for Israelis killed in Munich in 1972.

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