Israeli players have been barred from next month’s World Indoor Bowls Championships in England after a campaign by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel groups.
The decision, which affects three athletes, was condemned by a local parliamentarian and Jewish representatives. It is the latest instance of a growing cultural boycott on Israelis and Jews amid the war in Gaza.
The World Bowls Tour said in a statement that the involvement of Israeli bowlers at the Scottish International Open in August had produced “a significant escalation in related political concerns.”
“As a result of the intensity of the situation, the WBT Board, in consultation with our event partners and other relevant stakeholders, has made the difficult decision to withdraw the invitation for Israel to participate in the forthcoming World Indoor Championships,” it added.
“Bowls is, and always has been, a sport that unites people and this choice reflects our commitment to protecting the championships and ensuring they run smoothly for everyone involved.”
The decision removes Daniel Alomin from the singles draw and pairs players Amnon Amar and Itai Rigbi.
The Norfolk Palestine Solidarity Campaign said the move was the result of joint action with Scottish Sports for Palestine and Show Israeli Genocide the Red Card.
Rupert Lowe, member of parliament for the populist Reform party in the Great Yarmouth constituency that hosts the championships in Hopton-on-Sea, condemned the move, saying that the “aggressive and entitled pro-Palestine mob” had to be “resisted” and adding that Israeli competitors were welcome in his constituency.
The Board of Deputies of British Jews also slammed the “overt act of discrimination against Israeli participants, who are excluded solely on the basis of their nationality.”
The World Bowls Tour is one of several international federations that hold competitions of the sport, in which competitors try to roll a ball called a “bowl” as close as possible to a smaller bowl known as a “jack.”
World Bowls — a Melbourne-based, internationally recognized federation that organizes the rival World Bowls Indoor Championships — distanced itself from the World Bowls Tour following the boycott of Israel, and stressed that the two federations were unaffiliated.
“World Bowls has 60 member countries from across the world including Israel and all of our members continue to be welcome and eligible to participate in all World Bowls-staged events,” the Melbourne-based group said.
Anti-Israel activists have clamored for a boycott of the country in protest of the war in Gaza. In Britain, a prominent Jewish philanthropist announced last month that she would stop volunteering at art institutions amid growing calls for them to cut ties with her.
The ongoing war was sparked on October 7, 2023, when thousands of Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel to kill some 1,200 people and take 251 hostages.
Hamas’s health ministry says more than 45,000 people in the Strip have been killed or are presumed dead in the fighting so far. The toll, which cannot be independently verified, does not distinguish between civilians and fighters. Israel says it has killed some 18,000 combatants in battle as of November and another 1,000 terrorists inside Israel during the Hamas onslaught.