DUBAI: Israeli tennis players unwittingly court controversy
Politics and sports make a volatile mix when a game involves Israeli athletes competing in the Middle East in an environment of hostility toward the Jewish state.
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates recently denied a star Israeli female tennis player entry to the city-state of Dubai to participate in an international tournament.
The incident was met with a wave of condemnations by journalists, sports associations and politicians in the U.S.
For now, it looks like the oil-rich Arab country might backtrack on its earlier decision to bar Israeli players.
U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) told a news conference in New York that the UAE would grant male doubles player Andy Ram a visa to take part in the Barclays Dubai Tennis Championships next week.
Organizers of the tournament argued that the presence of an Israeli player would anger local crowds and create an unacceptable security situation.
Anti-Israeli sentiment has been exacerbated throughout the Arab world after the Israeli offensive in Gaza, which ended last month.
For weeks, Arab TV viewers were exposed to daily footage of Israeli jets causing havoc in Palestinian towns and of children agonizing in hospital beds.
Like all but a handful of Arab countries, the UAE has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel. Authorities tried to explain in diplomatic terms why they denied 20-year-old Israeli tennis phenom Shahar Peer a visa to the country this week.
Tournament director Salah Tahlak told reporters at a news conference:
We do not wish to politicize sports, but we have to be sensitive to recent events in the region and not alienate or put at risk the players and the many tennis fans of different nationalities that we have here in the UAE. … Public sentiment remains high in the Middle East and it is believed that Ms. Peer's presence would have antagonized our fans who have watched live television coverage of recent attacks in Gaza.
The UAE came under a lot of pressure from the West after the decision.
The Wall Street Journal's European edition withdrew its sponsorship of the Dubai sports event on Tuesday. Some sports channels refrained from airing the tournament.
Peer, ranked 48th worldwide, took part in the nearby Arab country of Qatar last year, but the Gaza war has aggravated Arab attitudes toward Israel.
Stay tuned to see if Ram makes it to the Dubai next week and, if he does, how tennis fans in the UAE react.
-- Raed Rafei in Beirut
Photo: Israeli tennis star Shaha Peer. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Atop all aid to Arab nations (Egypt, Jordan, etc.) that have been milking it for so long! they hate all non-Muslims anyway.
Posted by: Maria | February 25, 2009 at 08:39 AM
http://geocities.com/panarabism - ARABISM is RACISM! (No, it's not "politics"...) actual core of the Arabs vs Israel is nothing but Arab racism & Islamic bigotry, because of this double-motivation of intollerance there is a a"conflict", not the other way around, and it is as such at least the 1920s.
Posted by: Laura | February 25, 2009 at 08:38 AM
To refuse a Tennis player visa just because the nationals will be upset is a very lame excuse indeed, I am surprised that some of the top players both men and women still attended this event. This was their opportunity to speak up against discrimination/racism,instead they kept their collective mouths shut.THANKS to ANDY RODDICK the only one with the audacity to so no to injustice.Ok these players have a chance to right their wrong donate their prize money to Human Rights Agency who advocate for rights of humanity and rights of women in particular.
Otu John
Posted by: Otu John | February 23, 2009 at 08:32 AM
In my opinion. members of the international community--countries, cities, organizations and individuals--are free to impose what non-violent sanctions they like on rogue states. Not being allowed in a tennis tourney is pretty tame comeback for ghettoizing, starving and then bombing and shooting hapless civilians. Stop whining Israel and correct your behavior.
Posted by: kathleen | February 21, 2009 at 06:17 AM
Treat Israel like former Apartheid South Africa, conscious persons will not tolerate killing of children and civilians of occupied territories.
Posted by: John | February 19, 2009 at 04:45 PM
Israel has been milking USA for 60 years but still I'll put a word out so Ram will get his visa, stop milking us/US!
Posted by: Milkman | February 19, 2009 at 03:16 PM
I agree with the wave of condemnations by journalists, sports associations and politicians in the U.S. If Dubai is going to be biased and restrict the entry of a person based on the person’s citizenship or religion, maybe it should not be allowed to host any event. The WTA erred by having this important tournament in Dubai and the Middle East.
Posted by: Kevin | February 19, 2009 at 03:12 PM
Israel has been under brutal attack from arab nations for 60 years but still allows athlets from any nation in the world to participate in sports events there.
Posted by: William Goldfarb | February 19, 2009 at 02:19 PM
Israelis will have to take responsibilities for their actions, one can not expect to wage war and being condemned by international community for it and expect to be treated as like nothing happened and everything is as usual, when a state wage unilateral war, her society will be sharing the benefits and penalties that goes with outcome of such wars, this is only one of penalty which is coming to light and stay tune for avalanche of international lawsuits and restriction of Israelis citizens in international communities for her brutal adventure in Gaza.
Posted by: Joe | February 19, 2009 at 11:49 AM