Abu Dhabi Chess tournament – Official Statement
The Israeli team which participated in the 2013 World Youth Championships in the United Arab Emirates has returned home without winning a medal…avoiding an issue on how one would have been presented to an anonymous team not playing under the Israeli flag or country name.
As reported earlier on J-Wire, the country name of Israel and its flag were removed from the Chess tournament’s official web site and replaced with the name of international chess federation FIDE and its logo.
The national airline of the U.A.E. is in partnership with Qantas and many flights to Europe use it as a hub. But the federation claims that the removal of the flag and country name were at the behest of the accompanying Israeli security team.
The Israel Chess Federation has issued the following statement signed by its president Moshe Slav.
Moshe Slav
“Yesterday the 2013 World Youth concluded in Al Ain, in the U.A.E. with the participation of 1773 players from 171 federations. The Israeli delegation which took part in the event consisted of 5 players and several accompanying persons.
During the event there were several publications and petitions from several institutes and individuals about the fact that the flags of Israel were removed from the relevant tables in the tournament and from the official web as well and replaced by flags of FIDE. We would like to state very clearly that this move was done as a result of our security people’s request and with full cooperation with the local organizers. While we believe that participation of Israeli players in events held in Arabic countries, and vice versa of course, with Israeli flags is very positive and contributing to a good atmosphere, we all realize that such events need security solutions and strict cooperation about.
We cordially appreciate all those who were standing on our rights in what looked like a breach of it but we stress again – this was not a decision or initiative of the U.A.E. authorities but ours and we would like to thank the organizers and FIDE events commission for their cooperation and for the excellent treatment our delegation was met.”
Wondeful initiative, one worth following.
I suggest all those who would feel the need to “defend” Israel outside its well protected borders does the same, as not to attract that unwanted attention.
Any wonder those unterechuchem shlemils could not win any title, except for the one of Masters of Shame !!!???
The “security” blokes protecting those geniuses must have been from the “HEA” headhunter office ( Hamas Employment Agency ).
And so, by removing flags, security is improved? Bad guys now would not be able to figure out who the Israel’s are.
How stupid do they think we are, that we would believe this explanation?
Even a moron would realize that this is a denial of the right of Israel to exist. Rather than a step forward, it is two steps backward. Israel has agreed to allow the denial of its own right to exist. Just because bodies that come from Israel were allowed to compete does not change this basic fact.
What a complete and utter disgrace and coward’s way out.
I hate to use this analogy but no wonder they managed to round us up so easily in the past, if this is the way we stand up to things.
I for one am ashamed. That is all we do hide!
For God’s sake stand up and be counted instead of hiding in a corner like snivelling cowards
Sam,
Your words: “I hate to use this analogy but no wonder they managed to round us up so easily in the past, if this is the way we stand up to things” are very apt.
Do you notice that to date there has not been even a word uttered, not even a peep, from those so called “leaders” of the Australian Jewish community. They duck for cover on most things controversial or unpleasant and when they do speak, it is couched in language ever so diplomatic or legalistic.
This entrenched, cocooned leadership is the mirror image of the ghetto leadership that existed in the 1930’s. There is an urgent need to replace the lot of them and only apathy is preventing this from happening.
On the whole, we as a people seem to have learned nothing in the past 70 odd years. Many in our midst are unaware of the tsunami of hate that is engulfing us, many have fallen for the Palestinian attempts to re-write history and a vast majority have no idea how to counter the false Christian narrative which accuses us (a people who brought the Torah into the world)of deicide, the root cause of anti-Semitism spread so successfully by the Church throughout the centuries till the present day.
Going back to the ghetto Jewish mentality, I am told time and time again:
Why bother to write anything?
What good will it do?
You can’t change anything?
Maybe Moshiach will come soon and all will be OK.
No wonder our enemies regard us with contempt.
The Jewish world need leaders with a spine if we are ever to get up off our collective knees.
And even your message demonstrates how deeply the Arab propaganda has affected men of intelligence and objectivity.
You refer to “Palestinians.”There is no such thing, unless one is referring to long dead residents of the former British protectorate. Consider, in the 1960’s, would anyone other than an Arab propagandizer have referred to Arabs in Gaza and the West Bank of the Jordan river as “Palestinians.”
Dan,
I am fully aware that the so called “Palestinians” as a people never existed. I used the term in the above posting for simplicity sake to identify Abbas & Co.
Below is a copy of one of my letters that was published in the AJN (edition of 25/1/2013)on this issue. It was posted under the heading “History at odds with Palestinian narrative.”
“Why might they never have forgiven the division of their country by some organisation in New York?” asks Bob Selinger (AJN 18/01).
I am saddened to read this one sentence which clearly displays a profound lack of historical fact.
In biblical times, all of what is now Israel and the west bank (Judea and Samaria) was Jewish. When the Romans conquered the territory they named the entire area “Philistina” in order to rub salt into the wounds of the defeated Jews by calling the place in honour of their ancient and mortal enemies the Philistines. By doing so, the Romans acknowledged that the owners of the territory were Jews. Down the centuries the name Philistina was anglicised to Palestine.
At the beginning of the 20th Century, if one were referred to as a Palestinian, it was automatically implied that he or she was Jewish.
Decades later Arabs commandeered the term “Palestinian” and people like Selinger have bought their message that they have never forgiven the division of “their country” by the UN. The facts are that Palestine was a land mass administered finally by the British until the 1947 Partition Plan when only a part was allocated back to its centuries old rightful owners, the Jewish people.
I ask again, who were the rulers of this so called country that Selinger laments was divided up?
It’s time Jews relearn their own history.”
So Dan, we are on the same side here. Rest assured I do know the history.
By the way Dan, I forgot to mention above that your point is well taken and in future when referring to these people I will make sure to remember to use one of my usual descriptions for this lot, be it:
“Palestinians” or “so called ‘Palestinians'”
Unfortunately never once have I ever heard the representatives of the Israeli Government referring to Palestinians as “so called Palestinians” and here is the major problem. By their actions and statements over the years, successive Israeli Governments have given credibility to a nation that never existed.
So, in spite of the fact that the Israeli security team worked, to quote Moshe Slav previously “hand in hand”, with their Emirates counterparts, it was Israeli security which arranged for Israel’s name and flag to be removed, while the local organizers cooperated fully. What else could they do?
How the Israeli Chess Federation just rolled over and abided by this “request” is beyond all self respecting comprehension.
If Israeli security felt they couldn’t protect 5 chess players and a few others accompanying them without Israel’s name and flag being removed, what will they do at the next Olympic games?
What a sickening disgrace and precedent has been set.