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Moroccans Condemn Israeli participation in Marrakech judo World Championship

Moroccans Condemn Israeli participation in Marrakech judo World Championship

 

 

After a series of snubs for the Israel judo team – they were snubbed in various ways by UAE, Lebanon, Malaysia, Algeria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Egypt Morocco joined in.

srael’s judo team was unable to leave for the 2017 World Championships Open in Morocco on Tuesday after the event’s organizers in Marrakesh failed to grant the team members visas, Ynet has learned.

The president of the International Judo Federation said he would cancel the entire world championship if the Israeli delegation would not receive its visas.

This prompted progress however a number of Moroccan groups have condemned Israeli participation in the Open Weight World Judo Championships starting on Thursday in Marrakech, Anadolu has reported.

 In a joint statement, a number of Moroccan political and student bodies, including the ruling Justice and Development Party, condemned the arrival of Israeli judo player Ori Sasson in the country. Sasson waited until Wednesday to receive an official confirmation letter for his participation in the championship so that he could travel to Morocco.

The statement opposing his participation in the championship described Israel as a “rapacious entity” and called upon Moroccan government institutions and other interested parties to deal with the issue of “increasing manifestations of normalisation with the Israeli entity and to take the needed measures to stop it.” Sasson’s participation in the championship, the groups said, is a “provocation” to the people of Morocco.

“This contradicts the official policy of the state,” noted the joint statement, “the legal national reference and the international obligations of Morocco in the framework of the Arab League which does not allow normalisation with the Zionist entity.” All Moroccans were called upon to “counter the attempts to normalise relations with [Israel].”

 

The Judo World Championship Open 2017 can be livestreamed here.