World number 7 Ons Jabeur has come under scrutiny by Israeli officials who have filed charges against her for her support of the Palestinians in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
For those who don’t know, Israel and Palestine have a long and controversial history, dating back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries. On October 7, Israel witnessed one of the bloodiest attacks ever by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which killed at least 1,700 people and also led to hostage taking.
The situation in Israel has created a deep division in public opinion. Some criticized the terrorist attack, while others claimed the country’s actions in Palestine provoked this response. What is clear, however, is the tragic toll on innocent victims, especially children, who suffer needlessly.
Ons Jabeur, like many others, expressed his opinion on the subject. She posted on her Instagram story that violence will never bring peace, adding that Palestine should be free of enmity.
“What Palestinians have experienced over the past 75 years is indescribable,” Jabeur wrote. “What innocent civilians are going through is indescribable; regardless of their religion or origin. Violence will never bring peace; I can’t stand violence, but I also can’t stand people being confiscated their lands.”
“So it is important to understand the context, to look at what is happening today and to decide to ignore recent history is irresponsible and will not bring peace. And peace is all that matters to us. Peace is what everyone needs and deserves. Stop the violence and #FreePalestine,” she added.
In light of this, the Israel Tennis Association (ITA) released a statement on its Facebook page on Friday (October 13), accusing Ons Jabeur of supporting a “murderous terrorist organization.” Avi Peretz, president of the ITA, also said that a formal complaint had been filed against the two-time Wimbledon finalist at the WTA through the ITF.
“This tennis player is inciting and supporting a murderous terrorist organization. We are happy that she is in the minority compared to sane athletes in the rest of the world. Because the player belongs to the WTA, she is the one responsible for dealing with “The association and the ITF are now waiting to see what action they will take against him,” the statement said.
A look back at Ons Jabeur’s performance during the 2023 Asian swing
Ons Jabeur started his 2023 Asian swing campaign in style, winning the Opening of Ningbo title by beating Diana Shnaider in the final. En route to the championship match, she defeated Diane Parry, Tamara Korpatsch, Vera Zvonareva and Nadia Podoroska.
This was followed by a not-so-impressive performance at China Opena WTA 1000 tournament. Jabeur defeated Ashlyn Krueger in the first round, but was eliminated by Marta Kostyuk in the next round.
The Tunisian then competed in Open from Zhengzhou, where she defeated Lucia Bronzetti in the first round. However, after her victory, Jabeur consulted with her medical team and chose to withdraw from her quarterfinal match against Daria Kasatkina.
