PARIS– PARIS (AP) — Palestinian Olympic athletes They were greeted with roaring crowds and gifts of food and roses when they arrived in Paris on Thursday, ready to represent war-torn Gaza and the rest of the territories on a global stage.
As the beaming athletes walked through a sea of Palestinian flags at Paris’ main airport, they said they hoped their presence would serve as a symbol amid the conflict. Israel-Hamas War which claimed more than 39,000 Palestinian lives.
Athletes, French supporters and politicians in the crowd urged the European nation to recognize a Palestinian state, while others expressed outrage at Israel’s presence at the Games after UN-backed human rights experts said Israeli authorities were responsible for “war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
The same report said Palestinian militants committed war crimes during the early months of the war in Gaza, which began after Hamas launched deadly attacks on Israel on Oct. 7. Israel rejected the independent experts’ claims.
“France doesn’t recognize Palestine as a country, so I’m here to raise the flag,” said Yazan Al-Bawwab, a 24-year-old Palestinian swimmer born in Saudi Arabia. “We’re not treated like human beings, so when we play sports, people realize we’re just like them.”
“We are 50 million people without a country,” he added.
Al-Bawwab, one of eight athletes on the Palestinian team, signed autographs for fans and collected dates from a dish offered by a child in the crowd.
The cries of “Free Palestine” echoing through Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris show how conflict and political tension are having an impact on the Olympic Games. The world is gathering in Paris at a time of global political upheavalmultiple wars, historical migration it is a deepening climate crisisall issues that came to the forefront of conversations at the Olympics.
In May, French President Emmanuel Macron said that prepared to officially recognize a Palestinian state but that the step must “come at a useful time”, when emotions are not so intense. That fueled the anger of some like 34-year-old Paris resident Ibrahim Bechrori, who was among dozens of supporters waiting to greet the Palestinian athletes at the airport.
“I’m here to show you that you are not alone, that you are supported,” Bechrouri said. The fact that they are here “shows that the Palestinian people will continue to exist, that they will not be erased. in the face of the dire situation, they remain resilient. They are still part of the world and they are here to stay.”
The Palestinian ambassador to France, Hala Abou, called for France to formally recognize a Palestinian state and a boycott of the Israeli Olympic delegation. Abou previously said he lost 60 relatives in the war.
“It is welcome, which is not surprising to the French people, who support justice, support the Palestinian people, support their inalienable right to self-determination,” she said.
This call for recognition comes just one day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a powerful speech to Congress during a visit to Washington, which was met with protests. He declared that he would achieve “total victory” against Hamas and called those protesting the war on college campuses It is elsewhere in the US “useful idiots” for Iran.
The Israeli embassy in Paris echoed the International Olympic Committee in a “decision to separate politics from the Games”.
“We welcome you to the Olympic Games and our wonderful delegation to France. We also welcome the participation of all foreign delegations,” the Embassy wrote in a statement to the Associated Press. “Our athletes are here to proudly represent their country, and the entire nation is behind them to support them.”
The AP made several attempts to speak to Israeli athletes, without success.
Even under the best of circumstances, it is difficult to maintain a vibrant Olympic training program in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. This became almost impossible in nine months of war between Israel and Hamas, as much of the country’s sports infrastructure was devastated.
Among the large Palestinian diaspora around the world, many of the team’s athletes were born or live elsewhere, but care deeply about the politics of their parents’ and grandparents’ homelands. Among them was Palestinian-American swimmer Valerie Tarazi, who handed out traditional keffiyehs to supporters surrounding her on Thursday.
“You can crumble under pressure or use it for energy,” she said. “I chose to use it as energy.”
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