Palestinian insolence

Palestinian insolence


Wise IOC president should have known Arab countries would not have boycotted London Games even if minute's silence for Israeli athletes was held 


Noah Klieger


There is no limit to the chutzpah and audacity. Jibril Rajoub, who serves as chairman of the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association, sent a thank you letter to IOC President Jacques Rogge in which he praised the latter's decision not to allow a moment of silence to mark the 40th anniversary of the massacre of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics.


In the letter, Rajoub wrote that "sport is a bridge for love, unification and for spreading peace among the nations, and it must not be a cause for divisiveness and for the spreading of racism," adding that the IOC president's decision to reject Israel's demand was the "correct" one.

At a very young age Rajoub became a terrorist who carried out attacks against Israel or sent other terrorists on similar missions. This is why he spent more than 20 years in an Israeli prison. Obviously such a man, whose terrorist brothers murdered our athletes in Munich, is convinced that the massacre should not be commemorated. The letter he sent Rogge is the ultimate display of cruel cynicism – but what should be expected of such a man?

Arab countries threatened that they would cancel their participation in the London Games if a moment of silence is observed. The Belgian Rogge panicked and capitulated – just as his predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch had.

If the arrogant Spaniard's position on the issue could be explained to some extent, Rogge's is incomprehensible. Samaranch was a fascist and a former aide to the dictator Franco. He was not considered a friend of Israel and the Jews.

But Rogge, a physician, appears to be a wise and sensible man. His decision not to allow a minute's silence is very disappointing. As an intelligent man he should have realized that the boycott threat would not materialize and that not one Arab country would have cancelled its participation in the Olympics.

The Palestinian Authority would not have boycotted the games either, as its only goal in London is to have the Palestinian flag flown.

By the way, during the opening ceremony the flag was carried by judoka Maher Abu Rmeileh, who lives in east Jerusalem and holds and Israeli identification card.


http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4261565,00.html