RAMALLAH (Dispatches) –
Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has welcomed Jordanian opposition to Zionist participation in the in the Baja Rally hosted by Jordan.
The Jordanian position against the occupying regime taking part in the country’s Baja Rally, “which sees the participation of a number of Zionist athletes, expresses the deep-rooted authenticity of the Jordanian people,” Maher Salah, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said in a statement.
This opposition is “completely consistent” with historical Arab positions and is a “testament of the depth of the Jordanian people’s belonging to their Arab and Islamic nation,” he added.
The global event, which will feature car and bike races, kicked off on Thursday in the southern city of Aqaba. Thirteen Zionists are among participants taking part in the race, according to the Jordanian Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
The news prompted Jordanians to vent their anger on social media platforms, amid calls for halting the event.
Jordanian activists on social media warned of their country’s attempts to normalize relations with the Zionist regime.
In a collective act of solidarity with the Palestinian cause, Jordanians took to social media to ask “How on earth are we okay with welcoming [the Zionists] here?” and tell their government “enough with the selling of the blood of the martyrs of Jordan and Palestine.”
Pro-Palestinian groups denounced the event and called on the sponsors to withdraw from it.
They later announced and welcomed the withdrawal of a number of participants.
“After Roya TV and the Hamada chain of restaurants, Rababa Games, the sponsor and supporter of the Jordanian racer Saif al-Abadi, announced the cancellation of its participation in the Baja Rally. All respect and appreciation,” Ataharak, a group aimed at supporting the resistance and countering normalization, tweeted in Arabic on Friday.
Other pro-Palestinian groups also called for the boycott of the event and lauded those who withdrew.
The Boycott for Palestine movement said the hashtag #اوقفوا_رالي_باها, which translates as “Stop the Baja Rally!” tops the trends lists on social media platforms in Jordan.
“The rising popular discontent [is shown] in refusing to host 13 players from the occupation entity in the sports event, while the withdrawals of national institutions from sponsoring this normalization event continue amid calls to keep the pressure,” Boycott for Palestine wrote in a tweet.