It's regrettable that Shahar Peer has been denied a visa to play tennis in Dubai. We need dialogue to move forward, not boycottsSeth Freedman
guardian.co.uk, Monday 16 February 2009 14.02 GMTThe denial of a visa to Shahar Peer to enable her to play tennis in Dubai is causing uproar in many quarters, though why it should come as a surprise is hard to fathom. The United Arab Emirates has had an all-encompassing ban on Israelis entering its territory for years, and even goes so far as to prevent anyone with an Israeli visa in their passport from visiting the country.
That the powers-that-be should decide to apply the embargo to the world No 48 on the basis of her nationality is regrettable, but not unexpected. While Peer did make history in Doha last year by being the first Israeli tennis player to compete in an Arab country, Israel's Gaza offensive has meant that UAE's anti-Israel stance is very much in vogue at present.
The boycott-Israel campaign is gaining traction once more, with BDS supporters encouraging everything from Israel's artichokes to its academics to be shunned and turned into symbolic pariah figures as a way of putting pressure on the country's leaders.
As I argued in a recent article, such a position will do little to bring about the changes that are demanded by Israel's opponents. This is because, quite simply, the transformation of Israel's policies from belligerent to benign has to be sanctioned by Israel's citizens themselves – who don't have the best track record for progressive thinking when they feel their backs are against the wall.
The other problem with such selective boycotting is that, unless the proscription is applied across-the-board – both in terms of who eschews Israeli products and what products they veto – the net result will be that no significant impact is made by those seeking to hit Israel where it hurts, in its collective pocket. To that end, the UAE's ban on Peer is particularly toothless given that, when it comes to feathering their own nest, the Israel-embargo is conveniently ignored by those running the show in Dubai.
Already, several players have joined the chorus of condemnation for the UAE's move, with Amelie Mauresmo taking a Gatting-esque line, declaring "sport should be above issues like that to do with religion and wars and whatever. I'm surprised
."
However, what those who criticise the Peer decision and call foul against the UAE authorities fail to acknowledge is that Israel practises its own equally repellent system of persecution against nationals of countries with whom it has political differences. Despite officially cloaking all visa refusals under the oblique umbrella of "security reasons", Israel's previous for selective admission to its shores is no less repellent than that of the UAE government.
Sportsmen are not spared the wrath of Israel's immigration officials, as was seen during the Palestinian football team's inaugural game on home soil last October, when several overseas-based players were denied visas on security grounds. Visitors to Israel are routinely subjected to intensive and intrusive grilling on arrival at Ben Gurion airport, with a significant number turned away on the grounds that their presence in Israel presents a threat to the country's citizens.
From Desmond Tutu to Norman Finkelstein to Richard Falk and beyond, Israel is by no means the innocent party when it comes to the wielding of visa refusals as a way of making overtly political statements to the outside world. But that doesn't mean two wrongs make a right: just as critics of Israel hold up such high-profile incidents as proof that the country's leaders are skating on thin moral ice, likewise UAE officialdom ought to be condemned for its blanket ban on Israelis entering the country.
Like it or not, the best way forward is to enter into dialogue with the citizens or supporters of countries to whose policies one is opposed. That was my rationale for being interviewed on Iran's Press TV earlier this month; likewise it should be the stance taken by those who wish to encourage Israel's public to demand change from their own leadership.
Furthermore, banning an Israeli tennis player while welcoming Israeli businessmen with open arms is a disingenuous and dishonest way to approach the Israel/Palestine conflict, and will have no positive effect on a situation that is crying out for fair and balanced intervention from the outside world.
<snip>
However, what those who criticise the Peer decision and call foul against the UAE authorities fail to acknowledge is that Israel practises its own equally repellent system of persecution against nationals of countries with whom it has political differences. Despite officially cloaking all visa refusals under the oblique umbrella of "security reasons", Israel's previous for selective admission to its shores is no less repellent than that of the UAE government.
Sportsmen are not spared the wrath of Israel's immigration officials, as was seen during the Palestinian football team's inaugural game on home soil last October, when several overseas-based players were denied visas on security grounds. Visitors to Israel are routinely subjected to intensive and intrusive grilling on arrival at Ben Gurion airport, with a significant number turned away on the grounds that their presence in Israel presents a threat to the country's citizens.
From Desmond Tutu to Norman Finkelstein to Richard Falk and beyond, Israel is by no means the innocent party when it comes to the wielding of visa refusals as a way of making overtly political statements to the outside world. But that doesn't mean two wrongs make a right: just as critics of Israel hold up such high-profile incidents as proof that the country's leaders are skating on thin moral ice, likewise UAE officialdom ought to be condemned for its blanket ban on Israelis entering the country.
Like it or not, the best way forward is to enter into dialogue with the citizens or supporters of countries to whose policies one is opposed. That was my rationale for being interviewed on Iran's Press TV earlier this month; likewise it should be the stance taken by those who wish to encourage Israel's public to demand change from their own leadership.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/16/israelandthepalestinians-tennis
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