Ahmad Donyamali, in a letter to Spain’s Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Pilar Alegría, appealed to Spain’s historical principles and influential position to build a consensus for the suspension.
The letter hailed Spanish sports as a global “symbol of solidarity, courage, and mutual respect” that has played an “unparalleled role in promoting human values.”
According to the Iranian minister, the presence of Israel in international sports arenas as “the biggest violator of international law, has become a serious problem for the credibility of the global values of sports.”
“Over the past decades, this regime has shown its true face to the world with blatant anti-human actions, including the occupation of territories, the implementation of discriminatory policies, and continuous violations of human rights,” he added.
Donyamali warned that the ongoing situation “turns sports, which should be the common language of nations for convergence, into a tool serving to legitimize a regime based on discrimination and apartheid.”
Drawing a direct parallel to the historical sports boycott of South Africa’s apartheid regime, Donyamali noted that the global sports community has a “decisive role” to play in confronting discriminatory behavior. He expressed that the world now requires “the same determination and solidarity.”
The Iranian minister highlighted Spain’s “privileged position in the European Union and the international community,” proposing that its ministry lead an official initiative with other European nations in international sports forums to suspend Israel.
Donyamali expressed confidence that Spain, “as one of the leading countries in sports,” would affirm the necessity of “justice, ethics and respect for international law in the sports arenas.”
In May, Alegría announced that her nation, in conjunction with the European Union, is prepared to open discussions regarding the exclusion of “Israel” from all sports, both continental and international tournaments.
Israel’s brutal military assault, which has been accompanied by a near-total siege, has claimed the lives of around 68,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former minister of military affairs Yoav Gallant, citing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the besieged coastal territory.
Press TV