NBA won’t support freedom in Hong Kong, but Saudi soccer steps toward peace
We hope we are not naive when we say that the Arab world seems to be changing — the world that rejects Israel. Which bigger rejecters are there than Arab countries?
Maybe, no more. At least, incrementally, no more. Only last July, the foreign minister of Bahrain, Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, said: “Israel is part of this heritage of this whole region, historically. The Jewish people have a place amongst us.”
The NBA couldn’t bring itself to acknowledge that sports should stand for freedom in Hong Kong, but now comes Saudi Arabia, sending its soccer team to play a World Cup qualifier in a stadium near Ramallah, the “Faisal Al-Husseini International Stadium” in A-Ram. What’s the connection to freedom here? There is only one way for the Saudi team to get to that Palestinian stadium: via Israel.
The Saudi team must travel to Jordan and then through Israel on buses in order to reach their hotels in Ramallah. Truly, this should be no big deal. But it is. It means that Saudi Arabia — the largest Arab country — acknowledges that Israel is free to exist. If you think this is an exaggeration, that a soccer game doesn’t count for much, look at who went ballistic over the Saudi decision. The Muslim Brotherhood published Islamic rulings prohibiting the acknowledgement of the State of Israel, which, the Brotherhood said, includes any visit to its territory, reports TPS. So, the great crime of which Saudi Arabia is now guilty, according to these Islamic officials, is “the normalization of Israel.”
Saudi Arabia, not exactly a liberal bastion, nonetheless thumbed its nose at these supposed strictures of Islam. Basically, Saudi Arabia said: Sports is sports. Actually, not that simple, because the Saudis feared that they would be sanctioned by FIFA, the international governing body of soccer. Still, it wasn’t just fear that prompted the Saudi approval of the match in Ramallah. Saudi Prince El Faisel, who is also chair of the Supreme Sports Council in Saudi Arabia, stated that the Saudi trip was “meant to give the Palestinians the possibility to enjoy their team on their national court.”
Jibril Rajoub, the Palestinian Authority representative to FIFA, praised the Saudi decision as a “historical decision of historical significance.” We’ll overlook the redun- dancy; if only every move toward peace would be repeated.
Not that all is smooth sailing in the Arab world regarding sports and Israel. Reports TPS: The Arab Football [Soccer] Assn. refuses to allow Arab teams to play the PA in its home field because the teams need to go through Israel, and need Israeli visas, to reach it. These acts are rightly considered recognition of Israel sovereignty. Many Arab states still oppose that, but the opposition used to be universal. No longer, say Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Oh, add in Morocco. Its team played at the Ramallah national stadium, even if Syria and Lebanon have refused to do so. It’s a mixed bag — quite an improvement. As we commented on Bahrain’s acknowledgement of Israel last July, Saudi Arabia also now recognizes the absurdity, vacuity and counterproductivity in rejecting a place for the Jewish people in the Middle East. And the new openness means Arab visits to a Palestinian soccer field, we say: Bring them on.
Copyright © 2019 by the Intermountain Jewish News
