The Israel-Palestine conflict has taken the lives of innocents and has been causing continuous harm. Both sides have been affected due to the war. Ons Jabeur had posted a story about free Palestine and was one of the first players actually to support a side in the war. Jabeur’s take on the war was noticed by the Israel Tennis Association, which took action against the player.
Avi Pertz, the president of the Israel Tennis Association, strongly condemned Jabeur’s comments. Pertz said, “This tennis player incites and supports a murderous terrorist organization. We’re glad she’s in the minority compared to the sane athletes in the rest of the world.” An official complaint has been filed against Jabeur, and now the ITF along with WTA will need to decide the course of action.
La federation internatonale de tennis avait la fille de ma ville dans son viseur depuis qu’ella simulé blessure et a perdu exprès un match pr éviter de jouer contre une joueuse sioniste et mtn l’entité sioniste veut la punir suite à son soutien à Palestine, bravo ons jabeur pic.twitter.com/4AZxr4bdIL
— Monastir Ruspina (@mestir999) October 16, 2023
The Tunisian player has not commented on the issue so far. However, amongst the tennis players, Coco Gauff also shared an Instagram story where she prayed for the innocent lives lost in the war. On the other hand, Jabeur has found support as rapper Cordae expressed his solidarity for Palestine. Cordae posted a few stories on Instagram on why he took the stand for Palestine.
After Ons Jabeur, Cordae joins in support for Palestine
In times of war, there needs to be clear clarity on whom to show support for. Without proper political expertise, it isn’t easy to stand on a particular side. While the Israel-Palestine conflict has been going on for years over their geography, certain groups and individuals have taken their stand on the issue. Along with Jabeur, Cordae showed his support for Palestine on Instagram.
Cordae had recently become a parent with Naomi Osaka. The rapper’s view might be deemed instigating a particular group as he spoke about the politicians not taking action on the war. He shared a story quoting Malcolm X on the power of media. It said that the media had the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent. Cordae ended his story with a free Palestine hashtag.
While the players have spoken about the conflict, the ATP and WTA have only recently issued statements regarding the conflict. However, tennis organizations need to toughen up in these times to safeguard the players. Despite being in a difficult position, the tour is certainly facing challenges, but the players should always be their top priority.