Tunisian tennis star Ons Jabeur, has voiced her support for Palestinians and received heavy backlash from the Israel Tennis Association (ITA). This is not the first time this has happened in tennis; in 2022, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev spoke against the invasion of Russia in Ukraine and they were under threat. The Ukraine Tennis Federation (UTF) complained to ITF to ban all Russian players and players whose countries were Russian allies.
The complaint was, however, rejected. Ons Jabeur took to social media to say that the violence in Gaza should stop but the ITA claims she is supporting the terrorist organization Hamas.
ITA lodges an official complaint to WTA on Ons Jabeur
Israel Tennis Association (ITA) Chairman Avi Peretz has accused Ons Jabeur of supporting a terrorist organization. This came after the three-time Grand Slam winner expressed her support for Palestine. Ons Jabeur made the statement via her Instagram story days after Israel told all Palestinians to evacuate the northern strip of Gaza.
The Tunisian statement didn’t go well with the Israeli Tennis Association (ITA), which led Chairman Avi Peretz to make a statement, sharing it on the Facebook page of the Federation that an official complaint had been lodged with the WTA via the ITF (International Tennis Federation).
“This tennis player incites and supports a murderous terrorist organization. We’re glad she’s in the minority compared to the sane athletes in the rest of the world. We strengthen the security and rescue forces (Israeli army), trust them to do the job and pray they return safely. Because the player belongs to the WTA, they are the body responsible for handling the case. The association and the ITF are now waiting to see what measures they will take against her,” the statement read.
Since Israel witnessed the attack by Palestinian militants (Hamas) on the 7th of October, at least 1,400 people have been killed and hostages taken. And as retaliation against the Palestinians by the Israeli Forces, 2,200 people, including children, have been killed and public opinion has been divided between the two sides.
What was said about the Gaza conflict by Ons Jabeur?
After the historical feud between Israel and Palestine reached a climax, when Israel announced that Palestinians should evacuate the Northern and move South, Ons Jabeur took to her social media to share her thoughts on the situation.
“What Palestinians have been going through during the last 75 years is indescribable. What innocent civilians are going through is indescribable; no matter what their religion is, or what their origin is. Violence will never bring peace; I cannot stand with violence but I also cannot stand with people having their lands taken,” Ons Jabeur wrote on her Instagram story.
“So understanding context is important, looking at what’s happening today and deciding to ignore recent history is irresponsible and won’t bring peace. And peace is all we care about. Peace is what everyone needs and deserves. Stop the violence and #FreePalestine,” Ons Jabeur’s message ended.
However, the WTA has issued a statement on the Israel-Palestine conflict. In the statement, the WTA revealed their support for Israeli tennis players and also said they were mourning the loss of innocent lives in Israel. But, the WTA is yet to make any comment on Jabeur’s message.
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