Arabs boycotting Adidas and other sponsors over Jeruasalem Marathon sponsorship
A year ago, the Jerusalem Marathon changed its route in order to avoid any areas liberated by Israel in 1967, and a threatened boycott against the Marathon's principle sponsor, Adidas. This year, the Marathon was too successful for the Arabs' taste. The youth and sports ministers of all Arab countries, led by 'our friends the Saudis,' have announced a boycott of Adidas and of all other sponsors of the Jerusalem Marathon.
“All companies that have sponsored the marathon of Jerusalem, including Adidas, will be boycotted,” said Saudi Prince Nawaf bin Faisal, chairman of the Arab youth and sports council of ministers, after a meeting in Jeddah.
Prince Nawaf told a press conference the ministers also agreed to organize a separate marathon next year to coincide with the annual Jerusalem event.
That event will take place under the title “Jerusalem is Ours” in cities throughout the Arab world next March.
“Israel is trying to misguide public opinion into believing that Jerusalem is its capital and that is a violation of all U.N. resolutions,” added Nawaf.
Around 15,000 runners participated in the Mar. 16 International Jerusalem Marathon, which sparked controversy because part of the route passed through Arab east Jerusalem.
Funny, that's not why Prince Nawaf said that they are boycotting, is it? Note that Prince Nawaf didn't say anything about 'Arab east Jerusalem.' He said "Israel is trying to misguide public opinion into believing that Jerusalem is its capital." It sounds like they're objecting to Jerusalem being Israel's capital - just like the HusseinObama administration.
For those of you who want to see the Marathon route (yes, it did go briefly into the Old City, onto the Mount of Olives and onto Mount Scopus, although the latter was actually an Israeli enclave from 1948-67), let's go to the videotape.
The mile translations in that video are off (if you noticed, they made 42 kilometers, but only 25 miles - a marathon is 26.2 miles), but if you noticed that hill at the 15.65 mile mark in the video, I used to use that hill for sprints when I was trying (pretty unsuccessfully) to get back into shape about ten years ago.
Luckily, since the Arabs are going to make many marathons, they probably won't have much of an effect on ours. Maybe I should start training again (longtime readers may recall that I used to be a marathoner, about 20 years and 60 pounds ago).... Nah, this one has too many hills and is too hard to run. Tiberias would probably be easier.
Adidas has caved in to the threat of an international boycott, the Jerusalem City Council has caved in to Adidas, and the Jerusalem Marathon will be rerouted not to take in any areas of Jerusalem that were liberated in 1967, including the Jewish neighborhoods in those parts of the city.
The Jerusalem Municipality had decided to change the course of the Jerusalem Marathon. The new route will not include running paths in areas of Jerusalem that were added to the city after 1967. Last month, two Meretz members of the Jerusalem City Council asked Adidas, which I sponsoring the marathon, to pull out of its sponsorship, threatening to start an international campaign accusing the company of supporting “occupation.”
Municipality officials denied that it was pressure from Adidas that led to the change of the route. In a statement, a city spokesperson said that the municipality was hoping to keep politics out of the event.
Maybe they forgot to point that out to the 'loyal opposition.'
Adidas requests 'clarifications' on Jerusalem Marathon route
Last week, I reported that three Jerusalem city councilors had called on Adidas to withdraw its sponsorship of the Jerusalem Marathon because it passes through 'east' Jerusalem. On Friday, Maariv reported in Hebrew that Adidas has requested 'clarifications' from the city.
The sports giant Adidas, which is sponsoring the Jerusalem International Marathon, requested clarifications from the Jerusalem Municipality about the manner in which the event would be conducted [sic]. Sources in the company [say they] are even considering withdrawing the sponsorship because of fears of a consumer boycott, after it became clear that the route also runs through neighborhoods beyond the Green Line.
My guess is that they will ask the city to reroute the Marathon. I doubt the sponsorship will be withdrawn.
Looking at the map, what they're calling 'going through Sheikh Jarrah' is actually running down Highway 1, which runs along the former border.
On the other hand, I used to run marathons, and there is no way I would want to run through the Shuafat 'refugee camp.'
Jerusalem City Councilors ask Adidas to boycott marathon
Three Leftist Jerusalem City Councilors have called on Adidas, one of the Jerusalem Marathon's sponsors, to withdraw its sponsorship of the event because the course is planned to pass through 'east' Jerusalem.
“There’s no reason why it needs to go through the eastern part of the city,” said City Councilman Pepe Alalu (Meretz), who heads the opposition. “A marathon does not bring Jews and Arabs together. This is just an aggressive move.”
The letter was co-signed by Laura Wharton and Meir Margalit, both of Meretz.
The current route of the marathon, which will be held on March 25, starts at the Knesset and takes runners all the way out to Pisgat Ze’ev, before circling Hebrew University, entering the Old City at the Zion Gate, wending its way through the hills of Rehavia and Talpiyot to the promenade, and finally doubling back to the Knesset.
“As members of the Jerusalem City Council, we feel it is our duty to inform you that this year, the path of the marathon is due to run through parts of east Jerusalem that are considered occupied territory by the international community and by us,” the Meretz letter to Adidas stated.
“For that reason, we object to the marathon as it is now planned and believe it is important that you realize that a significant portion of the Israeli population as well as an overwhelming majority of the general population abroad will doubtless express their opposition once the details of the marathon are made public,” it continued.
City Councilman Elisha Peleg (Likud), who holds the sport portfolio, accused the opposition of skewering every initiative and event that the municipality created.
“A small part of it runs through east Jerusalem because east Jerusalem is part of Jerusalem, and that’s not political; it’s factual,” he said.
He added that if the marathon’s route did not go through east Jerusalem, people would complain that the municipality was ignoring half of the residents.
It doesn't sound like they're passing through a single Arab neighborhood. But while Peleg is convinced that Adidas is concerned with sports and not with politics, I'm afraid he's being a little overconfident. If Adidas starts getting hit with boycotts over this, they are likely to react. The city should be taking actions to make sure that Adidas is on the same page with them.
I am an Orthodox Jew - some would even call me 'ultra-Orthodox.' Born in Boston, I was a corporate and securities attorney in New York City for seven years before making aliya to Israel in 1991 (I don't look it but I really am that old :-). I have been happily married to the same woman for thirty-five years, and we have eight children (bli ayin hara) ranging in age from 13 to 33 years and nine grandchildren. Four of our children are married! Before I started blogging I was a heavy contributor on a number of email lists and ran an email list called the Matzav from 2000-2004. You can contact me at: IsraelMatzav at gmail dot com
A year ago, the Jerusalem Marathon changed its route in order to avoid any areas liberated by Israel in 1967, and a threatened boycott against the Marathon's principle sponsor, Adidas. This year, the Marathon was too successful for the Arabs' taste. The youth and sports ministers of all Arab countries, led by 'our friends the Saudis,' have announced a boycott of Adidas and of all other sponsors of the Jerusalem Marathon. 
