Jibril Rajoub, the president of Palestine’s National Olympic Committee, has said he will not shake hands with his Israeli counterpart Yael Arad or any Israeli delegation members at the Paris 2024 Olympics unless Israel recognises the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state. In an interview with the Guardian, Rajoub said the refusal was a matter of principle, not courtesy, and called on Israel to commit to mutual recognition and UN legitimacy.
Rajoub noted that Ukrainian athletes will similarly avoid handshakes with Russian and Belarusian competitors, but insisted no such edict has been handed down to Palestine’s eight-strong contingent. He said Palestinian athletes will follow the principles of the International Olympic Committee and guard against any violations of the Olympic Charter. “Don’t ask the victim, ask the criminal,” he said, referring to Israeli judoka Peter Paltchik, alleged to have posted photos of missiles on social media with a caption celebrating their launch.
The Palestine NOC claims that around 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed since 7 October and that sporting infrastructure has been largely destroyed. Rajoub said the very fact Palestine has brought a team to Paris is an achievement, especially as no athlete from Gaza could be included. He described the warm welcome given to the Palestinian delegation at Charles de Gaulle airport as “a message of hope” and “a red card to the other side”.
Rajoub, who also heads the Palestinian Football Association, has a controversial history with sporting authorities. In 2018 he was banned for a year by Fifa for urging fans to burn images of Lionel Messi. He also reportedly opposed a minute’s silence at London 2012 for the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by the Black September group at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Israel’s contingent of 88 Olympians is the only one receiving round-the-clock protection during the Games. Team Israel did not respond to the Guardian’s request for comment.
