On his way to South Africa to cover the World Cup, ESPN columnist Kevin Blackistone calls for a sports boycott of — guess who — Israel.
Maybe a sports boycott of Israel, where sports are beloved the same as in South Africa, could help foster a round of truly meaningful peace talks between Israel and Palestinians. Maybe such a collective effort could exercise the same leverage on Israel that it did for nearly 30 years with South Africa . . .
A sports boycott would certainly intensify the world's spotlight on Israel's approach to dealing with its occupied territories, just like it did South Africa's defunct government's dealings with its occupied peoples.
Why single out Israel? Countries with far worse records on human rights are doing quite well in the world of organized sports. Consider this:
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China relocated 300,000 people to build Olympic facilities in Beijing.
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North Korea's World Cup team hasn't faced any sanctions despite the sinking of a South Korean warship.
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Iran marked the anniversary of last year's stolen elections with a dire warning to the opposition, but it's business as usual for the Islamic republic's Olympic team.
If Blackistone and the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement have their way, this would put a crimp in Udi Sommers' proposal for Israel and the Palestinians to jointly host the 2020 Olympic Games in Jerusalem.
(Hat tip: Israel Matzav)
