Asked how the world of sport should respond to the crisis in Gaza, EU sports chief Glenn Micallef said there is “no place” for countries that do not share “our values” in events, on Monday, the 26th of May, reports Politico.
Israel is under European pressure over its military offensive in the enclave, and last week a majority of EU countries backed a review of the bloc’s political agreement with the country.
Several Israeli ambassadors were summoned to EU capitals after the Israel Defence Forces admitted to firing “warning shots” at a diplomatic delegation visiting the West Bank, which included European officials.
Commissioner for Intergenerational Justice, Youth, Culture and Sport, Micallef, also condemned the grave humanitarian situation in Gaza and said that the world of sport must speak up.
Asked whether Israel should be sanctioned for the war in Gaza, he said, without directly mentioning Israel, that “sporting events have no place for those who do not share our values”.
“Sport is a tool that we use to promote peace, through which we promote human rights,” he added.
“ON THE OTHER HAND, THE SPORTS MOVEMENT IS AUTONOMOUS AND MAKES ITS OWN DECISIONS, BUT WE HAVE A DUTY AND A RESPONSIBILITY TO SPEAK OUT ON THESE ISSUES AND TO EXPRESS OUR FEELINGS.”
Israel launched its military assault on Gaza following a cross-border attack by the Hamas militant group on the 7th of October 2023, in which 1 200 people were killed. The Israeli offensive has killed more than 50 000 Palestinians, hundreds of thousands more are at risk of famine and disease, and entire towns have been reduced to rubble.
In the world of sport, there have been repeated calls for a boycott of Israeli participation in international competitions, from the Olympics to the World Cup, although such proposals have so far been largely rejected.
Israel’s participation in the Eurovision Song Contest has also been criticised, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez calling on the 19th of May for the country to be excluded from such events.
“We cannot tolerate double standards, even in culture,” he said.
Micallef said that events such as Eurovision are an important place to share political messages and promote the values of the European Union. He added that space should be given to those who share these values, adding that he had already spoken about Israel’s participation in Eurovision and Sanchez’s position in the Union of European Broadcasting Organisations.
Following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the Olympic governing body and FIFA swiftly condemned Russia and suspended the country’s clubs and teams from competing, a reaction that has been cited by Palestinian critics as evidence of double standards.
“There has been bloodshed [in Gaza] and the civilians are paying the price,” said Micallef, who represented the Commission in Wednesday’s European Parliament debate on Gaza.
“It is a catastrophe. So many children, civilians, young people are without food and water, without access to humanitarian aid, humanitarian aid that should be allowed to reach the people of Gaza and Palestine en masse,” he added.
Calling the situation in Gaza “absolutely shocking”, he said that his “message is quite clear: through sport we must promote the values we stand for, with any country”.