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Every Israeli Athlete, a Soldier of the Army
It can be argued that every Israeli sports representative is a military personnel of the army. Of course, there are rare exceptions, as military service is mandatory for both men and women in Israel. FIFA regulations and the Olympic Charter state that sports and politics should not be intertwined, but this principle does not apply to the Israeli regime. Almost across all Olympic categories, athletes from the Israeli team have openly called for genocide against Palestinians or promoted the war efforts of the Israeli army. The evidence in this regard is deeply shocking. Israel’s Olympic teams have undeniably engaged in propaganda and support for genocide and war, which is a clear violation of the Olympic Charter and FIFA statutes.
Flag Bearer of the Israeli Delegation at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Peter Paltchik, Israel’s flag bearer at the 2024 Paris Olympics, signed bombs intended to be dropped on Gaza and wrote on his Twitter page: “A gift from me to you with utmost joy.”
In another instance, images and videos of Paltchik, a Zionist judoka, clashing with pro-Palestinian protesters in Japan have gone viral. These videos show one of his delegation members threatening protesters with death after they lightly touched Paltchik.
Paltchik was born in Ukraine, and his non-suspension is peculiar, especially considering that Russian athletes have been banned from participating in the Olympics due to their country’s war with Ukraine. This double standard becomes even more evident and worse in other cases. Sagi Muki, another judoka from Israel’s men’s team, shared a video of Israeli army soldiers raising the Israeli flag on Gaza’s beach after an attack, captioned: “Honor your heroes.”
Their teammate, Yam Wolczak, wrote in a social media post: “I dedicate this medal to my country and to my best friends who fight in the best units of the Israeli army; I was thinking of you throughout the entire competition.”
Another member of the Israeli judo team, Baruch Shmailov, in a social media post promoting the Wingate Institute, stated: “Several Israeli national sports teams train here. This military base is designed for fitness training and emphasizes the unity and integration of sports and the military in Israel.”
An image of Baruch Shmailov, the Israeli Olympic judoka, before heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics, shows him with Isaac Herzog, the president of the regime.
Tohar Butbul, another Israeli judoka, wrote in support of the Israeli army: “From here, I want to boost the morale of our dear soldiers at the borders.”px;”>توهر بوتبول جودوکار اسرائیلی در حمایت از ارتش این رژیم مینویسد: « از اینجا میخواهم به تقویت (روحیه) سربازان عزیزمان در مرزها بپردازم».
Unbelievable Discrimination by the International Olympic Committee
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled earlier this year: “Israel must take all necessary and available measures to prevent and punish direct and public incitement to commit genocide.” This ruling undoubtedly applies to public figures and athletes who officially represent Israel. According to the Olympic Charter, sports organizations must remain “politically neutral.” The preservation and promotion of political neutrality are enshrined in the mission statement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Clearly, Israelis do not respect this principle, and interestingly, the IOC does not seem to care that they fail to adhere to the charter!
Israel’s men’s judo team recently visited the 102nd Squadron Air Force Base of the Israeli Air Force in March 2024. The team’s head coach stated after the visit that the base commander prayed for their success at the Paris Olympics.
Female Olympic judo athletes from Israel also recently visited an Israeli army base and took photos with personnel from the 402nd Battalion near Gaza.
Israeli Olympians, All in Military Roles
In 2021, the Israeli army released a video explicitly depicting Israeli soldiers and Olympic athletes as one and the same. The caption of the video reinforces this notion. In the video, Israeli athletes are shown alongside soldiers, then transforming into military personnel. In another segment, a gymnast performing a spinning move suddenly transitions, with the same motion, to a tank turret.
The message of this video is clear: “Israelis see their identity as soldiers and reservists of the Israeli army as synonymous with their Olympic participation, even if this contradicts the principle of political neutrality in sports and the Olympic Charter’s preamble to promote peace.”
Female footballers from Israel’s team recently created a similar video, showing themselves wearing sports uniforms alongside army personnel, donning Israeli military gear. It’s as if they’re saying: sports and the military are one in Israel. These instances demonstrate that their willingness to support the actions of the Israeli army goes beyond mere compulsory military service at age 18. In fact, these athletes take pride in their military involvement and openly mix sports with politics. They even pose alongside the Israeli army, which is actively destroying Gaza and is accused of genocide in international courts. These actions implicitly endorse genocide and occupation in Gaza.
تیم جودوی بانوان رژیم اسرائیل
Gefen Primo, an Israeli Olympic athlete and member of the women’s judo team, enlisted in the Israeli Air Force in 2019. In May 2024, she wrote in a message: “I thank the soldiers of the army and the security forces of my country.”
She also posted on Instagram ten years ago, in July 2014, when Israel was bombing Gaza and killed 2,310 Palestinians, with the caption: “Thank you to the Israeli army.” In these images, she supported ethnic cleansing (left) and attempted to cover up Israel’s bombing of Al-Ahli (Baptist) Hospital, which killed hundreds (right).
Timna Nelson Levy, an Israeli Olympic judoka, recently stated on social media: “My heart and thoughts are always with the heroic soldiers of our army, and I want to dedicate my medal to them.” She also wrote in December 2023: “I share in the grief of the families of the victims of the army (Zionist regime); their deaths guarantee our lives.”
Her teammate, Gili Sharir, wrote in November 2023 that her goal was to bring a little joy to the country, the government, the army soldiers, and those who have been taken hostage. She also stated that she dedicates her medal to the soldiers of the Israeli army and the security forces of the regime. Another teammate, Maya Goshen, said: “I want to thank the army soldiers for fighting and risking their lives for our country. I am also grateful that we can live here safely and securely.”
Inbar Lanir, another member of the women’s judo team of the Zionist regime, joined the Israeli army at age 18. She also gave an interview with Israeli Army Radio. She recently dedicated several of her medals to an athlete-soldier of the Israeli army who was killed on October 7, as well as to all security forces and army soldiers. During a visit to the 402nd Battalion of the regime’s army with her teammates, she wrote: “I had the honor of participating in an inspiring visit with combat soldiers at the Gaza border, the 402nd Battalion.”
Israel’s Swimming Team
Shelly Bobritsky, an Israeli Olympic swimmer, released a video in October 2023 complaining that the International Olympic Committee does not sufficiently support Israel. In this video, she reiterated unproven claims after a year regarding Hamas attacks involving rape, beheadings, and torture. She also claimed that Hamas burned people alive but provided no evidence!
Shelly Bobritsky an Israeli Olympic swimmer
میرون شروتی، شناگر المپیکی اسرائیل
Miron Cheruti, an Israeli Olympic swimmer, is pictured posing in Israeli army uniform. His teammate, Denis Loktev, is also a member of the Israeli army. In January of this year, while Israel was on trial for genocide at the International Court of Justice, Martin Kartavi, a member of the regime’s swimming team, posted a selfie in military uniform with the caption: “Good old days.”
martin kartavi, an Israeli swimmer
denis loktev an Israeli Olympic swimmer
Israel’s Track and Field Team
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, an Israeli Olympic runner, recently shared an image of apocalyptic bombings and destruction by her country’s army in Gaza. She posted this image on October 14, right in the midst of the Zionist regime’s army attacks on Gaza. The image includes a holy book, as if presenting this behavior as a divine command. Maor Tiyouri, another Israeli Olympic runner, is seen in the image below wearing an Israeli army uniform. Tiyouri has been a military trainer for the Israeli army. When Israel was bombing Gaza in November 2023, he declared that he is very proud to be Israeli and a member of its army.
Lonah Chemtai Salpeter, an Israeli Olympic runner
maor tiyouri, an Israeli Olympic runner
Blessing Afrifah, an Israeli Olympic athlete, wrote after joining the Israeli army in 2022: “I am very excited and happy to join the Israeli army.”
Gashau Ayale, another Olympic athlete of the Zionist regime in the men’s half-marathon for 2024, said: “We dedicate our medal to the army soldiers, to all the hostages who have been rescued, and to those still in Gaza.”
Israel’s Equestrian and Fencing Teams
Ashley Bond, from the equestrian team, in response to a question about the Gaza war, said: “I am proud to represent Israel and show them that we will not back down, we will not bend, and we do not compete out of fear.”
Yuval Freilich, an Israeli Olympic fencer, wrote on July 26, 2023: “I pray for the health of all the soldiers of this regime’s army.”
Israel’s Football Team
Sean Goldberg praised the efforts of the military and said: “I pray for the morale of the heroic soldiers of the army; may they succeed and return home in peace.”
Osher Davida, a footballer from Israel’s Olympic team, said: “We hope the Israeli army does its job” so that fans can return home.
In November 2023, Israel massacred thousands of Palestinians and faced global protests. Yet Dor Turgeman, a footballer from the Olympic team of this regime, wrote on Instagram: “Representing our country, especially in these difficult days, is a great honor.”
Oscar Gloukh, a member of Israel’s Olympic football team, wrote after scoring a goal: “I want to dedicate this goal to all the soldiers currently protecting our country! Soldiers who are my age; while I am busy and entertained with football, they are fighting for our country with weapons. Thank you to the Israel Defense Forces. The strongest army in the world, I love you guys! Israel forward.” Gloukh, after scoring for his Austrian club Salzburg, dedicated his goal to his friend, an Israeli army soldier who was killed in Gaza.
Israel’s Gymnastics Team
Artem Dolgopyat, an Israeli Olympic gymnast born in Ukraine, moved to Israel and enlisted in the regime’s army. He recently stated: “On my Instagram posts, there are comments from people writing ‘Free Palestine’ and things like that, and I immediately block them.”
Rhythmic Gymnastics and Dance Team
Romi Paritzky, captain of Israel’s team in rhythmic gymnastics and dance, is seen here in Israeli army uniform.
Israel’s Taekwondo Team
Avishag Semberg, an Israeli Olympic taekwondo athlete, was listed as a member of the regime’s army from 2020 to 2021. In February of this year, she dedicated a gold medal she won in Austria to the “Israel Defense Forces.” She also posted in April: “Continue praying for the return of the kidnapped and for the safety of all Israeli army soldiers.” Semberg wrote again in June 2024: “Thank you to our heroic soldiers, and we continue to pray for the return of all the kidnapped and for the safety of all Israeli army soldiers.” In 2021, nearly two months after Israel killed thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza bombings, she met with Israeli army soldiers.
Israel’s Surfing Team
Anat Lelior, a surfer from Israel’s Olympic team, said in 2021: “Being in the Israeli army is more than just something you have to do. I enjoy doing it and am happy.” In May 2024, during the genocide of the people of Gaza, she again spoke about her time in the Israeli army. In a bizarre statement, she said: “You should spread kindness instead of hatred. I feel this is what we Israelis are trying to do,” and “Israeli surfers only support peace and love!”
Israel’s Sailing Team
Shai Kakun, an Israeli Olympic sailor, is seen in this image wearing Israeli army uniform.
Israeli Football Players
The football players mentioned below do not participate in the Olympics, but their statements represent violations of the Olympic Charter by Israel.
Sean Weissman plays for the Zionist regime’s football team. He recently tweeted: “For revenge on behalf of God, destroy. Suffocate. Crush.” “For what logical reason have 200 tons of bombs not yet been dropped on Gaza?” This caused a major controversy in Spain, the country of his football club. According to Il Mattino, he deleted all his tweets after this backlash and blamed his social media manager.
In an interview, he said: “I can’t help but think of the young soldiers of the army fighting for our country. We all hope they return safely. I am entirely at Israel’s service.” Weissman is a member of the Zionist regime’s army and its air force personnel.
Tomer Yosefi, a player for Hapoel Haifa, in hateful remarks, called on Israel to wipe Gaza off the face of the earth forever and hoped that “this time no concessions are made and not a shred of morality exists in the Israeli army.”
وایسمن عضو ارتش رژیم صهیونیستی و از پرسنل نیروی هوایی آن است
Ofir Davidzada, a player for Maccabi Tel Aviv, said in May 2023: “We encountered fighters in hospitals and rehabilitation centers who have become heroes.” While tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza have been killed by the Israeli army, he claimed this “cruel war” was “imposed on Israel.” In 2012, he uploaded a racist caricature on his Facebook page, repeating Israel’s lie that Palestinians use civilians as human shields.
His teammate, Eran Zahavi, when meeting an Israeli soldier, praised the Israeli army and said: “We are not really heroes. You are the heroes who give us the right to continue our work during the war.”
Dan Glazer, an Israeli midfielder, stated on social media: “We admire the strength of the Israel Defense Forces and our unique people who have created a unity that is only ours.”
Daniel Peretz, an Israeli goalkeeper who also plays for Bayern Munich, released a video in October saying: “This post is not about politics,” and then immediately engaged in political rhetoric by comparing Hamas to Al-Qaeda and ISIS. In May 2023, he wrote on social media in honor of the Israeli army: “I dedicate the pride of my success to all the heroes who left everything to fight and protect us.”
Israeli Football Clubs and the Regime’s Army
The Israel Football Association (IFA) is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). As a member, the IFA and all its clubs must adhere to the regulations of the Olympic Charter, including “promoting a peaceful society by preserving human dignity.” It is now clear that this is not the case. The relationship between the Israeli army and its football clubs is presented in a way that violates the neutrality of sports and good sportsmanship ethics.
Many Israeli football clubs gift equipment and free goods to army soldiers. Additionally, football clubs of the Zionist regime share images of Israeli soldiers in Gaza. They promote and collaborate with the regime by posing with club merchandise inside bulldozers or in front of tanks while wearing their sports uniforms. These actions demonstrate a clear and explicit connection between football clubs and the regime’s army.
Maccabi Tel Aviv has also hosted Israeli army soldiers, providing hospitality, setting up foundations, and fundraising for them. Israeli football clubs, such as Beitar, regularly post commemorative images for Israeli forces killed in Gaza with phrases like “Heroes, we will always remember you.
They also hold sessions to “appreciate and boost the morale” of Israeli army soldiers and visit their wounded. Members of FC Beitar shared a photo of their players visiting wounded Israeli army soldiers, posing with machine guns alongside them.
Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, by sharing images, praises fans who join the army and congratulates them for enlisting in the Israeli army. Earlier this month, they announced that all Israeli army soldiers can attend their matches at the stadium for free.
Maccabi Netanya also posts images of Israeli aircraft, glorifying the Israeli army’s aerial operations in Gaza.
The image below (left) shows members of Hapoel Be’er Sheva football club meeting and honoring wounded soldiers and police forces of the Israeli army after football matches.
Israeli army soldiers in Gaza regularly record motivational messages for football players, encouraging them to win their games to make the soldiers happy. In other words, football players link their performance on the field to boosting the morale of Israeli army forces involved in genocide and war crimes. Whether implicitly or explicitly, there is no boundary between sports and the army of this regime. This has significantly impacted club fans on social media, with club behaviors and posts gradually radicalizing them. This leads them to support the war against Gaza and equate supporting their club with supporting Israel’s war efforts.
For instance, Maccabi football fans violently assaulted a man in Greece carrying a Palestinian flag. Such behavior by Israeli football clubs has gone unpunished and is permitted by the Israel Football Association. According to international laws and regulations, the IFA is obligated to “combat any form of political or commercial abuse of sports and athletes,” as stated in the Olympic Charter; however, no fines, reprimands, or requests for behavioral change have ever been imposed. This alone is sufficient grounds for suspending the Israel Football Association from FIFA, the global governing body of football federations, and the IOC.
Massacre of Palestinian Athletes
Not only do Israeli athletes, alongside the regime’s army, openly mix politics with sports and publicly support a zero-sum war, but Palestinian athletes are also severely restricted by the Israeli government. They are not even allowed to compete in peace. The International Olympic Committee Charter states that the IOC’s role is to promote “safe sport and the protection of athletes from all forms of harassment and abuse.” However, no action has been taken to protect over 300 Palestinian athletes in Gaza who have been killed by Israel. This list includes 266 footballers, three of whom played for the Palestinian national team. Many of these sports stars were killed alongside their families.
Israel has also martyred an international FIFA referee, an assistant referee, and a coach of the Palestinian Olympic football team.
At least 66 children who played in Gaza’s youth football academies have also been killed by Israeli and American bombs. Furthermore, Israel has destroyed all sports infrastructure and equipment in Gaza, preventing Palestinian athletes from training and preparing for competitions. Among Israel’s humiliations of Palestinians is the regime’s army turning Yarmouk Stadium into a detention center for prisoners. Israeli army soldiers filmed Palestinian men and boys who were stripped naked and blindfolded! Moreover, they shared their war crimes on social media and forced them to sit in humiliating conditions.
In the background, Israeli bulldozers can be seen tearing up the football field’s grass to prevent Palestinians from playing football there. Of course, this is not much different from when Israeli bulldozers, after attacking refugee camps, destroyed roads in Jenin and Nablus out of sheer malice to hinder ambulance access to the wounded. During these attacks, all 41 football fields in Gaza have been damaged or completely destroyed by Israel over the past 10 months.
Why Was Russia Sanctioned, But Not Israel?
In 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from participating in international sports as punishment for the war against Ukraine. FIFA and the IOC reached this decision just four days after the invasion began. Athletes were told that if they wished to compete, they could only do so under a neutral flag, provided they had no connection to the military or security forces. Additionally, any public statement in support of the war would result in a permanent ban.
Unfortunately, it is evident that different standards apply to Israeli soldiers. The genocide in Gaza has been ongoing for 10 months. The extent of violations committed by Israeli athletes, as well as the scale of destruction and civilian casualties, far exceeds that of the Ukraine war; especially considering two ICJ rulings against Israel, which confirm the ongoing genocide in Gaza and assert that Israel effectively maintains an apartheid system against Palestinians.
Threats Against Palestinian Sports Officials
Fearing expulsion from the FIFA Congress in May 2023, Israel resorted to sabotage, threats, and intimidation against Palestinian sports officials to silence them. Israeli media reported that an emergency committee and a joint WhatsApp group were formed by Israeli diplomats, military personnel, legal advisors, the Ministries of Culture and Sports, and the National Security Council of the regime to address this issue.
It appears that the Zionist regime understands the severity and gravity of the case against it. The FIFA Congress operates similarly to the UN General Assembly, where each member has an equal vote, and none have veto power. Given the ICJ ruling against Israel in January and the erosion of Israel’s international image, they consider the risk of reprimand to be very real.
This ruling could take the form of a declarative penalty, such as barring participation in the FIFA Congress, but it could also, as in the case of Russia, include exclusion from the international arena. If sanctions are imposed, exclusion from Olympic football competitions would also be on the agenda.
The army commander worked around the clock to do everything possible to thwart the Palestinian proposal at the assembly. Thus, Israel’s goal was to prevent the issue from being put to a vote and instead have it reviewed by FIFA’s special council, a smaller body of 35 members. This would make it easier for Israel to control the outcome (similar to a decision by the UN Security Council on an issue rather than the General Assembly).
Then, a week before the Congress, Katz, Israel’s Foreign Minister, publicly threatened on Twitter to imprison Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA) and its Olympic Committee, if he did not withdraw his request to expel Israel from FIFA. This brazen threat was accompanied by a photoshopped image of Rajoub in prison sports attire with a football. Katz’s tweet read: “If he doesn’t stop, we will lock him up in Mukata so he can play football alone between prison walls.”
Despite this massive scandal, Israel somehow managed to prevent the Palestinian issue from being raised at FIFA and referred it to the FIFA Council. The date for that council meeting was set for July 20, but at the last moment, that session was also canceled, stripping Palestinians of the opportunity to address the ongoing genocide in Gaza in this forum. FIFA likely did this to avoid an embarrassing outcome for Israelis a week before the start of the Olympics. According to Israeli media, Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, “had previously supported Israel,” and his European counterpart at UEFA also “promised that no sanctions would be imposed on the Zionist regime.”
West Bank
Even if we ignore the mountain of evidence against the accused, there have long been ample grounds for expelling Israelis from international sports. FIFA regulations explicitly state that establishing football clubs in another’s territory is prohibited for federations. This is not just a simple sports violation. Under international law, Israel illegally occupies the West Bank, which includes territories internationally recognized as Palestinian land.
The International Court of Justice recently ruled that Israel and its 700,000 illegal settlers must leave the area. UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 497 explicitly order Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories (West Bank, Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights) and declare the illegal annexation of these territories “null and void.” UN Security Council resolutions are legally binding. However, Israel ignores them and continues to massacre Palestinians without any punishment.
It is clear that double standards exist for Israeli athletes. Despite their military involvement and public support for genocide in Gaza, they are allowed to participate in international sports. Meanwhile, Russian and Belarusian athletes, the majority of whom have never spoken in support of the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the government or military, were sanctioned and sent home.
Israeli athletes clearly violate neutrality rules by mixing sports with politics. They have not been reprimanded for any of these behaviors, which indicates full support for Israeli sports institutions. Football clubs openly affiliate with the Israeli army, providing food, supplies, hospitality, and pro-war propaganda on social media. They even encourage Israelis to join the army. Their football players visit wounded soldiers in hospitals, take photos with them, and clubs hold memorial ceremonies to honor fallen Israeli army soldiers.
Israel also kills Palestinian athletes and destroys their sports facilities while illegally owning football clubs in Palestinian occupied territories in the West Bank. FIFA and the International Olympic Committee, when taking a political stance against Russians, decided to mix politics with sports. However, despite overwhelming evidence against Israeli athletes, they refrain from taking a political stance on Gaza to preserve Israel’s public image. By doing nothing, FIFA and the International Olympic Committee are complicit in the genocide of Palestinians by Israel and embolden the regime in killing Palestinian athletes.
فلسطین به خاطر دخالت اسرائیل در ورزش این کشور، هیچ تیم فوتبالی ندارد!
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