Fadi Aldeeb, 40, is the only athlete representing Palestine at the Paralympic Games. The Palestinian was paralyzed in 2001 when an Israeli soldier shot him in the back, and a decade ago he left Gaza to pursue a career as a basketball player. He traveled through Turkey, Greece and France. Now, at the competition in Paris, he is competing in the shot put.
The athlete says he feels pressure to be the voice of his people at the Paralympics. “There are too many feelings, too many responsibilities, because I am not talking about myself, I am not playing for myself. I am here for 11 million people, for everyone who says I am Palestinian, for everyone who talks about humanity and freedom for Palestine,” he told Al Jazeera.
For Palestinians, the Palestinian presence at the Paralympic Games has never been more meaningful than it is now. By raising the flag of his people, he believes he is showing the world that the “rights and freedoms” of his people are important.
Calling the Israeli army a “killing machine,” Fadi Aldeeb says that for these soldiers “there is no difference between athletes, disabled or not, children or women, big or small houses, hospitals, hotels, universities or schools.”
The athlete admitted that he felt uncomfortable in the presence of Israeli participants who paid tribute to members of the Israeli Olympic team killed by Palestinian snipers at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
Undeterred, Fadi Aldeeb said he received a lot of support from the other participants. “I don’t feel alone. These people give me a sense of humanity.”
The war between Israel and Hamas has killed more than 40,000 people in the Gaza Strip. Fadi Aldeeb lost his brother in the conflict. Last December, he missed several calls from his brother. When he tried to call back, there was no answer. The next day, he discovered that his family member had been killed in an Israeli attack. “I can’t help but think about what he wanted to tell me on that call,” he said.
The Olympic Charter states that athletes at the Olympic Games must enjoy freedom of expression, but no “political propaganda” is permitted in any Olympic venue, site or other location. Aldeeb was interviewed outside the Olympic Village.
Author: Morning mail
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Tifany Hawkins, a professional journalist with years of experience in news reporting. I currently work for a prominent news website and write articles for 24NewsReporters as an author. My primary focus is on economy-related stories, though I am also experienced in several other areas of journalism.