Ons Jabeur has insisted that a recent Instagram post in support of Palestine was within the rules after the Israeli Tennis Association (ITA) filed an official complaint against her.
The Tunisian world No.7 was heavily criticized by officials in Israel after describing what people in the West Bank and Gaza have experienced over the past 75 years as ‘indescribable’ before adding that violence will never bring peace to the region. A war has broken out between Israel and Hamas, whose political branch currently runs Gaza, following an attack launched by the terror organization on October 7th that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. As a result of the attack, Israel has launched heavy airstrikes on the region and is currently in the early stages of a ground invasion. According to the Associated Press, as of October 29th, 1400 people have been killed in Israel and 8005 in Gaza. There are also fears of the conflict spreading throughout the region.
“What Palestinians have been going through during the last 75 years is indescribable. What innocent civilians are going through is indescribable; no matter what their religion is, or what their origin is. Violence will never bring peace. I cannot stand with violence but I also cannot stand with people having their lands taken,” Jabeur wrote earlier this month.
“Peace is what everyone needs and deserves. Stop the violence and #FreePalestine.” She added.
Jabeur’s comments provoked outrage from the president of the ITA, Avi Pertz, who accused the tennis star of supporting terrorism. The organization sent a formal complaint to both the WTA and ITF over the matter.
“This tennis player [Ons Jabeur] incites and supports a murderous terrorist organization. We’re glad she’s in the minority compared to sane athletes in the rest of the world,” Mr Pertz said.
Speaking about the situation during an interview with The National, Jabeur confirmed that she has been notified that an official complaint has been launched against her. However, there is no indication that she will face any sort of disciplinary action.
“What I wrote in my post on Instagram is what I support, and the biggest thing I believe in is peace,” Jabeur told The National earlier this week.
“I’m very sad for the innocent people that are getting killed every day and I wish the world would react and end this war.
“They filed the complaint to the WTA and I’m aware of it, they told me about it. But I didn’t say anything wrong. I just shared my opinion and I stayed within the rules. I actually was surprised they complained about it. I don’t even know why. My message was really peaceful.”
In a separate development, the ITA says they are aware about complaints of figures ‘associated with the world of Israeli tennis’ supporting Hamas. In a statement on Facebook, they are encouraging members of the public to report these individuals and provide any form of evidence that they have.
Jabeur is currently playing at the WTA Finals in Cancun, Mexico. Her first match will be against US Open champion Coco Gauff on Monday.
