Dubai has refused entry to Shahar Pe’er, an Israeli tennis player who is one of the best players in the women’s game.
Dubai does not recognise Israel, so anyone trying to get into Dubai on an Israeli passport will not be able to do so. This, apparently, is nothing to do with sport.
Question is, what the hell is the WTP doing holding a tournament in a country that refuses entry on the grounds that it does not recognise the passport from a country that was legally created by a vote in the United Nations in 1948 and a member state since 1949. Qatar has previously allowed Ms Peer into the country.
Dubai’s failure to recognise Israel is part of an ongoing agenda to deligitmise the State of Israel. 36 countries have no diplomatic relations with Israel and 26 refuse to recognise it at all. Israel is the only country in the world that is in such a position. Most of these countries are Muslim countries and many have appaling Human Rights records. Here is a full list of countries that do not recognise Israel at all:
AFRICA
- Algeria
- Chad
- Comoros
- Djibouti
- Libya
- Mali
- Morocco
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Tunisia
- Western Sahara
AMERICAS
ASIA (outside Middle East)
- Afghanistan
- Bangladesh
- Brunei
- Maldives
- North Korea
- Pakistan
MIDDLE EAST
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Kuwait
- Saudi Arabia
- Syria
- Yemen
- United Arab Emirates
Countries who do not have full diplomatic relations:
- Bahrain
- Bhutan
- Bolivia
- Indonesia
- Malaysia
- Mauritania
- Oman
- Qatar
- Taiwan
- Venezuela
In addition to this, anyone who has an Israeli stamp on their passport is not allowed entry into any Arab and many Muslim states other than Egypt or Jordan.
It could be argued that many Muslim countries who may otherwise wish to recognise or have diplomatic relations with Israel feel that such a move would risk their own people turning against them and also the realtions they enjoy with other Muslim countries.
It doesn’t take too much analysis of this list to determine that Muslims do not like Israel and they are joined by a very strong supporter of the PLO, namely, Cuba.
The WTP should seriously reconsider prostituting itself by holding tournaments in countries who do not recognise the nationality of any of its members for whatever reason. Yes, the UAE tournaments bring a lot of money into the game but does anyone remember the D’Oliveira affair when the England cricket team called of a tour to South Africa in the days of Apartheid because they would not allow a ‘Cape Coloured’ to play with white people? Is this case any different?
Only Israel and Israelis are subject to this sort of harrassment as part of a global attack on Israel for daring to exist and defend itself. And most of the countries who are so appalled by the very existence of Israel are undemocratic, tyrannies, human rights abusers and worse.
Dubai itself has a terrible record of abuse of Asian guest workers who are subject to the most appalling treatment. Look here Wikipedia entry on Human Rights in Dubai and here Human Rights Watch