Israel prevents Olympic runner from leaving Gaza to participate in West Bank marathon

[Jefferson23]

JERUSALEM – Israel's high court on Tuesday upheld a decision to prevent an Olympic runner from leaving the Gaza Strip to participate in a marathon, highlighting Israel's tight restrictions on travel in and out of the Hamas-ruled territory.

Nader Masri, who participated in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, had hoped to run in a marathon in the West Bank town of Bethlehem on Friday, but his request to leave Gaza was rejected by Israel's defense minister.

On Tuesday, Israel's Supreme Court upheld the travel ban, saying it could not interfere in the minister's policy decisions.

The case underscored Israel's restrictions on Gaza, which human rights activists argue amount to collective punishment and are often arbitrary. They say the travel ban is part of an Israeli attempt to sever ties between Gaza and the West Bank, territories that lie on opposite ends of Israel and are sought by the Palestinians for a future state, along with east Jerusalem.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/04/08/israel-prevents-olympic-runner-from-leaving-gaza-to-participate-in-west-bank/

[elleng]

1. Israel is doing a good job

making itself hateful,

[Jefferson23]

2. It's sad...they don't need to do this. n/t

[elleng]

3. Right, but they've got Adelson.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1016&pid=90109

[Jefferson23]

4. Adelson is a big supporter of Bibi, but I wonder if that even figures in this particular scenario?

[elleng]

6. Dunno,

was just providing another sad example of Israel's heavy-handedness.

[Jefferson23]

8. It is sad, there is no good to come from such a thing..anyone doing this just looks

unreasonable and cruel.

[WhiteTara]

5. They seem to act from cruelty and for no

other purpose.

[elleng]

7. Yes they do,

and encourages me to urge U.S. to quit them. With 'friends' like these, who needs it?