Following a threat by Israeli government members to withdraw their backing of the Giro d’Italia’s start in that country next May, the race has quickly moved to smooth things over. Israeli Sports Minister Miri Regev and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin complained after literature at Wednesday’s race launch in Milan stated that the first stage would begin in West Jerusalem.
Both the United Nations and the European Union dispute Israel’s claim to East Jerusalem, with the UN regarding it as part of the occupied Palestinian territory. Indeed it does not recognise any part of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. However the Israeli officials demanded that the Giro change its reference to the city.
“In Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, there is no east or west. There is one unified Jerusalem,” they said, referring to the use of West Jerusalem as “a breach of the agreements with the Israeli government. If the wording does not change, the Israeli government will not be a partner in the event.”
Read the article by Shane Stokes in CyclingTips.