Israel bars 26 Gaza runners from 1st West Bank marathon

April 20, 2013 by occupiedpalestine 0 Comments

Palestinian Olympic athlete Nader al-Masri (L) and a fellow runner speed along the waterfront in Gaza City. (File photo)

PressTV | Sat Apr 20, 2013 12:38PM
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The Israeli regime has barred 26 Palestinian runners from the Gaza Strip to take part in a marathon in the occupied West Bank.

The Gaza runners, including former Olympics runner, Nadar al-Masri, were denied permission to travel to the West Bank city of Bethlehem and participate in the first ever marathon held in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The race, called the “Right to Movement Palestine Marathon,” will be held on Sunday. More than 400 people, half of them Palestinians, have registered to run in the event.

The Palestinian athletes, the organizers of the event and the Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) have asked the Israeli officials to reconsider their decision but have not yet received a response.

“The Israelis should look at this purely as a sporting event. It has nothing to do with politics,” said Samia al-Wazir, the spokeswoman for the POC, adding, “This is an event in the West Bank and every Palestinian, not just athletes, should have the right to attend.”

According to an Israeli military statement issued on Thursday, the entrance of Gaza residents to the West Bank would be possible “only in exceptional humanitarian cases, mainly urgent medical cases.”

Masri, the most successful Palestinian runner, said he was excited at the thought of running at the event.

“I spent three months training for this marathon. I wanted to take part in this historic Palestinian marathon with runners from both the West Bank and Gaza. The Israeli side is always the problem. We are athletes, not a security threat,” Masri said.

Gaza has been blockaded since June 2007, a situation that has caused a decline in the standard of living, unprecedented levels of unemployment, and unrelenting poverty.

The regime of Israel denies about 1.7 million people in Gaza their basic rights, such as freedom of movement, jobs that pay proper wages, and adequate healthcare and education.

SAB/SS

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ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

Martyred By Israeli Occupation Attacks

انّا للہ و انّا الیه راجعون

May Allah Subhana wa Ta’ ala grant the Shuhada Jannatul Firdaus, and ease it for their families, loved ones and anyone around them. Allahumma Ameen ya Rabbil Alameen. ‘ Inna Lillahi wa ‘ Inna ‘ Ilayhi Raji’un, Allahu Akbar

ஜ۩۞۩ஜ

* The list of shuhada does not display, the numerous victims of the zionist occupation which are undocumented by media. Nor it displays the victims of the “silent onslaught” due to restrictions of movement, ability to go to hospitals for treatment or life saving surgery, due to lack of medication because of the blockades and so on. For example: The Slow Motion Genocide by the Siege on Gaza only, killed 600 patients since Gaza got under Israeli Siege.

For an overview of All Israeli Massacres Palestinians go here

Neither does this list, display the avoidable mortality. A clear and statistical factual evidence, about the number of deaths due to indecent ruling by occupation forces. For even an occupier has obligations under International Laws, Geneva Convention and the Hague regulations, which it is neglecting. These circumstances, together with deliberate policies of the occupier to neglect and even deny every basic human right, severes avoidable mortality which is totally silenced by media or reporting organisations. While in the Holocaust, 1 on 6 Jewish people directly died of deliberate neglect, so if we believe the facts over 1 million due to avoidable mortality, neither should these same circumstances be ignores which are ongoing in Palestine. For this report displays a avoidable morality of at least 0,5 million Palestinians.

How many more dead corpses of Palestinians does the international community need to see in order to act? How many more cruelties and violations of Human Rights, Regulations and International Law will be needed to intervene so this ongoing warcrime is being stopped once and for all.