Seven Israeli chess players registered for a Spanish tournament starting on Friday have all withdrawn from the event, said the organizers, who had told the players they would not be competing under their national flag, citing the conflict in Gaza and expressing solidarity with the Palestinians.
“One after another they kept pulling out and finally the last one, this very morning, decided not to come,” said Miguel Angel Olmo, president of the Sestao Chess Club that organizes the event.
Olmo said that even though they were forced to open the tournament to all players, they made it clear to the Israelis that they were not welcome.
“We have acted in accordance with international regulations, but we invited them not to take part and we thank them for their decision.”
The Sestao event has drawn more than 250 players from 33 countries.
“We respect the International Chess Federation regulations for open tournaments, but we also have convictions: we have worked to find a peaceful solution, informing the players and the public, and we believe we have achieved our goal,” the club said in a statement.
The International Chess Federation (FIDE), which was not available for comment, said last week it had not been consulted on the matter.
“FIDE had no prior knowledge of this decision, did not make any ruling on this, nor was it consulted by the organizers,” it said. “FIDE strongly condemns any form of discrimination, including on the basis of nationality and flag.”
Unlike Russian and Belarusian players, who since 2022 have been obliged to compete without their national colors due to sanctions, Israelis are not subject to such restrictions.
Local associations planned rallies in Sestao in support of the Palestinians and against Israel, which the club also welcomed.
“We think it’s very good that they are holding it; it is informative in nature and explains the steps we have taken,” Olmo said, adding that a larger demonstration was expected on Saturday against “what is a genocide and supporting the Palestinian people.”
He said the venue would display the flags of all participating countries, including Palestine, “as a symbolic gesture of support.”
Israel’s campaign against Hamas, launched in the wake of the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre that killed some 1,200 people and saw another 251 taken hostage, has left much of Gaza in ruins and created what aid agencies say is a deepening humanitarian catastrophe.
Sport in Spain has been drawn into the political fray in recent weeks. Several stages of the Vuelta a Espana cycle race in Bilbao were cut short after pro-Palestinian, anti-Israeli protesters disrupted events and demanded that the Israel-Premier Tech team be excluded.
It also comes amid increasingly acrimonious ties between Madrid and Jerusalem in recent weeks that have seen Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slam his Spanish counterpart as genocidal and antisemitic after Pedro Sanchez lamented not being able to use nuclear weapons against the Jewish state.
Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel, is the most senior European leader to have called the fighting in Gaza a “genocide.”
Spain’s government has prohibited sales and purchases of military equipment with Israel since the start of the war, and Sanchez’s recently announced measures would enshrine the prohibition in law.
His left-wing government broke with European allies last year by recognizing a Palestinian state, a move that infuriated Israel. Several European countries, including France and the UK, have since announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state next month.