An Egyptian judoka refused to shake his Israeli opponent’s hand after losing in the Aug. 28 World Judo Championship semifinals in Tokyo.
The Israeli, Sagi Muki, barely defeated his Egyptian opponent Mohamed Abdelaal. Muki can be seen offering to shake Abdelaal’s hand, but Abdelaal rebuffed Muki’s offer and walked away.
https://twitter.com/StandWithUs/status/1166712034961944576
Muki, who received the gold medal after defeating Belgian judoka Matthias Casse in the championship round later in the day, said afterward that he was “sorry” that Abdelaal didn’t shake his hand. He added that he is “pleased that I was able to show the beautiful face of Israel.”
Muki can be seen singing along to Israel’s national anthem “Hatikvah” after winning the gold.
#Israel's anthem, Hatikva, playing in Tokyo after Israeli Judoka Sagi Muki wins gold. Beautiful. Mazl tov Champion! pic.twitter.com/fvSoyDzsW0
— StandWithUs (@StandWithUs) August 28, 2019
Twitter weighed in Abdelaal rejecting Muki’s handshake:
If you want to get why polls show overwhelming Jewish support for Israel (despite considerable opposition to its govt) watch Muki’s face: not fear or anger or grief – just whatever. He exists in a normative context in which this snub does not matter. https://t.co/Zl0aCoqtdW
— Ron Kampeas (@kampeas) August 28, 2019
These reactions make such victories that much sweeter. Bow your head and skulk away from the Jew, coward. https://t.co/fBIQdjls3U
— Seth Mandel (@SethAMandel) August 28, 2019
Funny. An Egyptian won't shake the hand of a Mizrahi Israeli. Having ethnically cleansed virtually the entire MENA of its indigenous Jews, the Arab world still won't accept them as equal due to the country they fled to. I'd say it was irony, but it's just racism. https://t.co/O1KOnt44Gn
— Queen of Broccoli 🥦👑 (@jobellerina) August 28, 2019
Israeli-Arab relations summed up in a single exchange (or lack thereof): https://t.co/wLdwQGQREf
— Dov Hikind (@HikindDov) August 28, 2019
Abdelaal is not the first Egyptian judoka to rebuff an Israeli judoka’s handshake offer. In 2016, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby also rejected a handshake from his Israeli opponent Ori Sasson in the Rio Olympics; Sasson went onto win the bronze medal that year.
Additionally, in Oct. 2017, the United Arab Emirates wouldn’t play Hatikvah after Israeli judo Tal Flicker won the gold medal in the Abu Dhabi Judo Grand Slam Competition, prompting the Flicker to sing Hatikvah to himself during the award ceremony.
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