Showing Israel the red card. Activists engaged in pro-Palestinian sport-related campaigns

© 2017 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This article explores the motivations of activists involved in pro-Palestinian sports-based campaigns. The activists’ intention is to bring pressure to bear upon Israel until it complies with international law and supports the rights of Palestinian people under the universal principles of human rights. In response to expressions of pro-Palestinian solidarity, the Israeli state and its supporters are interpreting such activity as a ‘new’ manifestation of ‘old’ antisemitism. In seeking to assess whether such activity is informed by antisemitism, 10 semi-structured interviews were conducted with activists to examine their motives. Their political biographies were explored as were their views on the use of sport as platform to express support for the Palestinian people and/or their displeasure at Israeli participation in international sport. One central theme was the activists’ responses to the suggestion that they were motivated by antisemitism. A qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts revealed a shared observation that the accusation of antisemitism was a ‘shameless tactic’ employed by those seeking to cover up the ongoing injustices experienced by the Palestinian people. Sport was seen as a legitimate platform for political activity, to raise public awareness and to put pressure on the Israeli state. The findings contribute to a better understanding of activist motivations, the use of sport as a political platform and the challenges facing sport and its governing bodies

Israel and a sports boycott: Antisemitic? Anti-Zionist?

The paper identifies and summarises the debates that surround the place of Israel in international sport and assesses how that place is increasingly being contested. The long-standing conflict between Israel and Palestine has begun to manifest in the world of sport with the paper sketching the debates of those calling for, and those opposed to, sport sanctions/boycott of Israel until the ‘Palestinian Question’ is resolved. Five related tasks are addressed: first, to summarise the call for sanctions/boycott emanating from the Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions movement. Second, to explore how this call is establishing itself in the world of sport. The responses of those opposed to any form of sanction/boycott are then considered. The confusion that surrounds the term antisemitism is addressed and the relationship between (anti-) Zionism and antisemitism unpacked. The discussion concludes with an assessment of the claim made by the Israeli state, and its supporters, that any action against the country’s participation in international sport would be an act of antisemitism. Offering a timely, integrated summary of the heated debates that surround the Israel/Palestine conflict, the paper contributes to a wider discussion on the relationship between sport and politics

Sport and Peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine

Those working in the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP) sector often claim that sport can, and does, make a difference. This article assesses this claim in the context of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians. Attention is given to the ‘peace’ component within the SDP initialism and on what ‘peace’ means in this conflict. An assessment is made of the work of thirteen organisations engaged in peacebuilding in this region. The article identifies that many of the sport-for-peace schemes involve Israelis and Palestinians/Arabs within Israel with few schemes seeking to involve Palestinians who live in the West Bank, in Gaza or in refugee camps in neighbouring countries. It is concluded that sport is not an appropriate vehicle for peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians because there is no peace – a necessary precursor for reconciliation. Realpolitik, in the form of Israeli territorial expansion and the Palestinian struggle for basic human rights, leaves sport-for-peace schemes attempting to build a bridge too far

Ag-surfaces sputtered by DC and pulsed DC-magnetron sputtering effective in bacterial inactivation: Testing and characterization

This study addresses the deposition of active, uniform nanoparticulate Ag-thin films on polyester textiles by DC-magnetron sputtering (DC) and pulsed DC-magnetron sputtering (DCP). The deposition of Ag on the polyester fiber was observed to be the function of the type of sputtering used and this has direct implications on the E. col inactivation kinetics. The shortest E. coli inactivation was observed within two hours when sputtering with DCP Ag-layers 160 nm thick- at 300 mA within 2.7 min. This is equivalent to a growing coating rate of 74 nm/min. By electron microscopy (TEM) Ag-polyester fibers it was found that Ag sputtered by DCP penetrated more deeply into the polyester full fiber compared to DC-sputtering leading to a more favorable E. coil inactivation kinetics. The E. coil inactivation times were found to be a function of the applied DC and DCP energies and higher sputtering energies reduced the E coil inactivation times. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the surface atomic concentration of O, Ag, C and N for the DC- and DCP samples as a function of the bacterial inactivation time. The change hydrophobic/hydrophilic balance of the Ag-polyester was determined by contact angle measurements and the implications of these changes discussed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved