For Many Palestinians, the Olympics Are Easy to Root for but Hard to Actually Watch

[Pelican Press 0]

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For Many Palestinians, the Olympics Are Easy to Root for but Hard to Actually Watch

Displaced three times by the war in Gaza, Mariam Moeen Awwad recently returned to her family’s home in Jabaliya, where amid the damage and destruction she hoped to cling to a routine for the next two weeks.

Without a television, Ms. Awwad, 23, said she would rely on the small screen of her father’s phone to transmit accounts of the Palestinians competing in the Paris Olympics. She said she wanted to feel connected to them, and to the Games, as much as possible.

But even as she expressed hope that the ************ team would do well, she acknowledged it would be hard. “My feelings are numb toward everything because of what we are witnessing and experiencing,” she said.

These wartime Olympics carry a particular resonance for Palestinians, many of whom are enduring their 10th month of ****** and devastation in Gaza. The eight ************ athletes represent not only a homeland but a cause, a means of amplifying their voice and concerns to the world.

For many Gazans, preoccupied with the loss of loved ones, their homes and their livelihoods, the grim state of life eclipses any excitement over the Games. Even if they were interested now in staying current on sports and culture news, a scarcity of electricity has made it nearly impossible to keep up with the outside world.

Yasser Shaaban Abdullah Mhana, a legal adviser at the ************ Authority’s Ministry of Communications, explained that many people in northern Gaza did not have access to television or other media, further limiting their ability to stay informed.

In the ********-occupied West Bank, where settler ********* against Palestinians and their property has surged, the sentiment toward the Olympics reflected promise and a certain resilience.

“This team proves to the world that we are a people who want life, hope and to live,” said Riham Abuaita, 36, of Ramallah, in the West Bank. “We have capabilities, and we hope the team will present the best image of Palestine and convey the pain we are living through.”

Ms. Abuaita said it was “beautiful” that the Palestinians were fielding an Olympic team and that they needed to be present at such international sporting events.

“What matters is that they will carry the ************ flag and represent the nation,” she said. “I hope our presence there will convey a message beyond sports, drawing attention to our cause and the ongoing war and atrocities, especially in Gaza.”

In all, eight athletes — six men and two women — are competing in six sports. One of the competitors is Omar Yaser Ismail, a taekwondo fighter. His uncle Ashraf Theeb, 46, of Jenin, in the West Bank, said that he had obtained a visa to travel to Paris but that he was uncertain whether he would be able to watch Mr. Ismail in person.

“Our lives are filled with challenges,” Mr. Theeb said. “I am searching for plane tickets and hoping for the best.”

Mr. Theeb still considers himself somewhat fortunate, even if he is unable to fly to Paris. He intended to follow all of the ************ athletes, whose mere participation in the Games, he said, constituted a form of resistance.

“We view it as such, and the team will represent us in the best way possible,” Mr. Theeb said. “They are showing the world that we deserve to live.”

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