France – French President Emmanuel Macron justified the difference in dealing with Israel, which is participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics despite its war on Gaza, and Russia, which is excluded from the games due to its military operation in Ukraine.
Macron said yesterday, Monday, in an interview with BFMTV and RMC radio, that between Russia and Israel, “the situation is completely different,” in response to leftist deputies who in February unsuccessfully demanded that the International Olympic Committee “impose… “Israel during the next Olympics has the same sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus.”
He added, “Israel was the victim of a terrorist attack… We can disagree with Israel about how to respond and protect itself, but we cannot say that Israel was the one who initiated the attack, and therefore the distinction (between it and Russia) is very clear.”
The French President considered that, “This is why the Israeli flag will be there (at the Games), the athletes will be there and I also hope that they will be bearers of peace because they will have to compete with many athletes from the region.”
The International Olympic Committee distanced itself from the war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas and hides behind its demand for a “two-state solution” which it “implements” at the level of members under its banner, in light of the coexistence of the Israeli and Palestinian Olympic Committees since 1995.
On the other hand, the International Olympic Committee excluded Russia from participating in the 2024 Olympics, but gave the green light to Russian and Belarusian athletes last December to compete as neutrals against the backdrop of the Russian military operation in Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee decided last month that Russian and Belarusian athletes, who were allowed to participate in the Olympic Games as neutrals, “will not participate in the opening ceremony of the Games.”
Source: sportmail + agencies
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2024-04-16 07:46:36