Israel warns France of the possibility of terrorist attacks at the Olympic Games
26 July 2024 10:45
Israeli Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz has sent a letter to his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne in which he warned of potential terrorist attacks on Israeli athletes and tourists during the Paris Olympics. According to Katz, these threats come from Iranian-backed terrorist groups, reports "Komersant Ukrainian" citing Le Figaro.
In a letter dated Thursday, 25 July, the Israeli minister noted that
“some seek to harm the celebration of this joyous event.”
He also added that Israel has assessments of potential threats from Iranian terrorist groups and other terrorist organisations that intend to attack members of the Israeli delegation and Israeli tourists during the Olympic Games.
In response to these and other threats, France has introduced extensive security measures. All Israeli athletes participating in the 2024 Olympic Games will receive round-the-clock personal protection from the French elite police both inside and outside the Olympic Village.
On Tuesday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach and French President Emmanuel Macron rejected a Palestinian demand to ban Israel from the Paris Games over the war in Gaza. The Palestinian Olympic Committee sent a letter to the IOC, arguing that the bombing in the besieged Gaza Strip violates the Olympic truce.
The situation escalated after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October last year. Although Iran welcomed the attack, it denied any involvement in it. Since the beginning of the war unleashed by Israel in the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack, tensions in the region have increased significantly. There have been attacks by Iranian-backed militants in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, speaking to the US Congress, called for a global alliance against Iran’s “axis of terror”. This further underscores the tensions between Israel and Iran on the eve of the Olympic Games.
Terrorist attack at the Olympic Games in Munich
The 1972 Munich Olympic Games terrorist attack was one of the most tragic events in the history of the Olympic movement. on 5 September 1972, eight Palestinian terrorists from the Black September organisation infiltrated the Olympic village and took 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. The terrorists demanded the release of 234 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons and two German terrorists.
After lengthy negotiations, the German police attempted to release the hostages, which led to a shootout. As a result, all the Israeli athletes, five terrorists and one German policeman were killed.
This tragedy shocked the world and led to a significant increase in security measures at all subsequent Olympic Games.
The Olympic Games
The Ancient Olympic Games were sports competitions held in Ancient Greece from 776 BC to 393 AD. During this time, 293 competitions were held. Among other things, the Olympic Games symbolised the unity of the Greek city-states and were an important cultural phenomenon in ancient Greek society.
The Ancient Olympic Games were held in Olympia in the historical region of Elida in the north-west of the Peloponnese. During the Olympic Games in Ancient Greece, any wars between the Greek states were suspended for two months and a sacred truce, the ekehiria, was established. During this time, it was forbidden to enter the territory of the whole of Elida with weapons.
The modern Olympic Games under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee were first held in 1896 in Athens.
The XXXIII Summer Olympic Games will be held from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in Paris. The International Olympic Committee has allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under neutral status. For them, the IOC has developed several additional criteria that establish that a particular Russian athlete does not support Russia’s military aggression in Ukraine. Applying these criteria, the IOC admitted 31 “neutral athletes” to the Games: 15 Russians and 16 Belarusians. And yet,most of theathletes from Russia and Belarus admitted to the Olympics support the war.
