Olympics off to a tough start for Israel

The Olympic games are supposed to be an oasis of peace. They were not in 1972, when Palestinian terrorists murdered 11 members of Israel’s team. This year, Israeli athletes have faced only threats and rudeness so far—from Lebanese and Saudi athletes, and from Facebook.

First came death threats. In July, terrorists on social media told followers, “Your chance to take part in global jihad is here!” Killing Israelis in Brazil would be easy, they claimed, because passports are readily available and gun smuggling is rampant. Nevertheless, Israel’s Olympic team traveled to Rio with its largest contingent ever—47 athletes—along with a security team.

Then came a social media slight: Facebook’s “profile frames” feature listed all 207 countries participating in alphabetical order, with one exception: Israel was at the end, after Zimbabwe. The Israelis wrote a letter of complaint, and “Israel” is now between Ireland and Italy.

Next came a bus battle just before the opening ceremony. Israeli athletes tried to board the same bus as the Lebanon team to travel to the stadium. The driver opened the bus door, but the group of Lebanese decided they couldn’t ride with the Jews and their leader. Salim Al-Haj Nakoula, the Lebanese team leader, demanded the driver close the bus door. He then blocked the entrance, and Olympics officials found a different ride for the Israelis, warning Al-Haj Nakoula not to do that again.

“2016 Olympics … shame on you!” Udi Gal, the Israeli sailing coach, wrote on Facebook. “How can it be that something like this occurs on the eve of the Olympic opening ceremony? Does this not directly oppose what the Olympics represent and stand for …”

During yesterday’s judo competition, Saudi athlete Joud Fahmy apparently forfeited a match to avoid meeting an Israeli in the next round. The Saudis said the athlete hurt her leg and arm during training, but Israel’s Channel 2 reported she is healthy.

The Israelis have not won any medals so far—but they’re still alive.