NBA removes reference to occupied territories from its website
Israel's sport minister Miri Regev praises the U.S. Basketball league for taking down the phrase
Israel’s Culture and Sport minister praised National Basketball Association Commissioner Adam Silver for removing a reference to Palestinian “occupied territories” from the NBA’s website.
A section of the NBA website allowing fans from around the world to vote for their favourite players to play in the upcoming All-Star game offered “Palestine – occupied territory” as an option for the voter to select as his or her country of residence.
Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev sent a strongly worded letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver demanding that he “immediately act” to change the listing.
“I view the inclusion of ‘Occupied Palestine’ in the list of countries appearing on your official website as legitimising the division of the State of Israel and as gross and blatant interference, in contrast to the official position of the American administration and the declarations of President Donald Trump, who just recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” Regev wrote in a letter to Silver last week asking that the reference on the website be changed.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tzipi Hotovely also sent a letter of protest to the NBA which read, in part: “This week, U.S. Ambassador Friedman called for the cessation of the use of the term ‘occupied’ in regard to Judea and Samaria, and an important sports league such as the NBA should respect this view.” Judea and Samaria is the Hebrew term referring to the West Bank.
The NBA responded that the country list was provided by a third party, and that as soon as it was aware of the controversy it made the appropriate change. The NBA also apologised.
The website now offers “Palestinian territories” as an option.
Regev praised Silver for his quick response, saying in a statement that he has “proven his integrity and decency.”
She met with Silver in July, when they arranged for a delegation of NBA starts to come to Israel in April 2018 as part of Israel’s 70th Independence Day celebrations.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
