Arab sports leader "praised" athletes who refused to compete against Israeli teams
Headline: “Jihad Uweida: The Arab athletes are still opposing normalization”
“Secretary-General of the National Committee Against Normalization in Sports Jihad Uweida praised the ‘slaps on the cheek’ that the World Fencing Championship that is taking place in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received one after the other, following the Arab withdrawals that came one after the other out of opposition to normalization [with Israel] (refers to the Abraham Accords; see note below -Ed.). The first was Kuwaiti Mohammed Al-Fadhli. Afterwards Kuwaiti Husain Nassar withdrew, and then Jordanian Eyas Al-Zamer. Afterwards the Libyan delegation withdrew from the finals (i.e., in order to avoid competing against the Israeli team).
Uweida emphasized that despite the agreements that a number of Arab states signed with the Israeli side, many of the Arab champions refused to compete against Israeli athletes. He noted that their withdrawal proves that the Arabs are still opposing normalization, and that the agreements with the governments are not worth the cost of the ink with which they were signed.”