Israeli Minister of Culture and Sports Miki Zohar on Thursday urged the World Baseball Softball Confederation to restore Israel’s team to the annual PONY U-19 Palomino tournament in Stuttgart, Germany after it was banned for alleged antisemitic reasons.
Israel Hayom reported earlier this week that the host in Stuttgart excluded the Israeli baseball team because of the “political situation” and that the team would be attacked by hooligans.
Zohar wrote, according to Israel Hayom, that “The decision seriously violates the fundamental values of sports, which stand first and foremost on principles of equality, unity and a complete separation between sports and politics.” He added that “I urge you to reconsider your decision, in accordance with the values of fairness and sportsmanship so that the Israeli team can participate in the tournament as any other team is entitled to do.”
Zohar noted that “If the reason for your decision is security considerations, then it is the responsibility of local and international authorities to ensure the safety of all participants—and not to exclude an entire team because of its origin.”
When i24NEWS asked the PONY Baseball and Softball in the USA for a comment, Abraham Key, President and CEO PONY Baseball and Softball, said “ Israel has participated in European PONY events in Prague and Stuttgart for decades. To imply that PONY has denied or rescinded an invitation to Israel the opportunity to participate in the PONY Championships in Stuttgart is incorrect. Israel followed all procedures to participate and is on the waiting list for participation. This year’s event is oversubscribed as we added additional teams to the event and as a result Israel is the first team on the waiting list (number eleven) for 2025.”
Key added “To imply that PONY or Stuttgart is prejudiced against Israel or has denied Israel its due diligence for participation is a dangerous and false narrative. We wish we could have all sixteen applicants participate but are limited to a maximum of ten teams due to time and field availability.”
Key did not immediately respond to a follow up i24NEWS press query about Zohar’s letter. He said he “never heard” of the no-go-zones for Jews in Stuttgart.
Stuttgart, which is located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, has been engulfed in a series of antisemitism and pro-Hamas scandals over the years. Just last month, i24NEWS reported that the Jewish human rights organization, Simon Wiesenthal Center, is mulling a travel advisory warning for Jews who wish to visit Stuttgart because intense pro-Hamas activity has created “no-go zones” for the tiny Jewish community. Stuttgart’s mayor, Frank Nopper, has refused to delete a notice for a pro-Hamas and pro-Samidoun group on the city’s website.
Nopper has been under fire for allowing Palestine Committee Stuttgart to post information about its organization on municipal website. Palestine Committee Stuttgart has previously raised funds for the pro-Hamas organization Samidoun, which was outlawed by the German government. Nopper declined to respond to an i24NEWS press query about the latest alleged outbreak of antisemitism in Stuttgart with respect to the ban imposed on the Israeli baseball team.
Two German court rulings declared that Michael Blume, the German commissioner tasked with fighting antisemitism in Baden-Württemberg, can be labelled antisemitic because of his attacks on a German Jew and the Israeli national icon, Orde Wingate. Blume refused to comment on Stuttgart’s reported role in banning the Israeli baseball team.
Israel’s government blasted Blume, in May, 2024. Tal Heinrich, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Netanyahu, said at the time: “Comments that we have seen from Mr. Blume in the past about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and throughout this war demonstrate that he often lacks moral clarity.”
Blume has showed sympathy for the ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
The federal German commissioner tasked with fighting antisemitism, Felix Klein, did not immediately respond to i24NEWS press queries about the ban of Israel’s baseball team in Stuttgart. Klein faced criticism from Israeli Brig. Gen. (res.) Amir Avivi, chairman and founder of the Israel Defense and Security Forum (IDSF) in early 2023 for failing to criticize Hamas’ eliminatory antisemitism. Klein authored a report called “National Strategy against Antisemitism and for Jewish Life” in Germany. He omitted Palestinian lethal antisemitism in his late 2022 report.
