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French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin has confirmed that members of the Israeli delegation will have their full-time protection during the Paris Olympics.
Last fall, tensions in the Middle East rose as new conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, and views emerged in Europe that Israel should not participate in the Olympics.
A pro-Palestinian demonstration took place in France over the weekend, with Thomas Portes, a representative of the French left-wing party Invincible France, declaring that Israeli Olympic athletes are not welcome in France and their participation should be protested.
Several other party members at least partially agreed with Portes. Manuel Bompard, a senior party official, added in public media: “In the face of the Israeli government’s repeated violations of international law, it is reasonable to ask the country’s athletes to participate in the Olympics under a neutral flag.”
However, French Interior Minister Darmanin confirmed in a television interview that Israeli athletes were protected 24 hours a day, and Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne also supported him at the EU meeting on Monday.
“On behalf of France, I want to say to the Israeli delegation that we welcome you to the Olympic Games in France,” he said in Brussels, adding that he planned to highlight security issues in an upcoming phone call with his Israeli counterpart.
The safety of Israeli athletes at the Olympics has not been such a major issue since the 1972 Munich Games, when several Israeli athletes were kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists and 11 of them died in the ensuing massacre.
The Paris Olympics will be held from July 26 to August 11. The Israeli national team has 88 athletes.
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