The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian Arab demand that Israel be barred from the Paris Games over the war in Gaza, AFP reported.
As the Israeli team settled into the Athletes' Village for the games which begin on the weekend, the IOC studied a letter from the Palestine Olympic Committee asking for a ban on Israel, citing the bombings of the Gaza Strip as a breach of the Olympic truce.
The letter, which was sent days before Friday's opening ceremony, "emphasized that Palestinian athletes, particularly those in Gaza, are denied safe passage and have suffered significantly due to the ongoing conflict", according to AFP.
It said "approximately 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed and the destruction of sports facilities exacerbates the plight of athletes who are already under severe restrictions".
Bach, however, indicated that he would not be drawn into "political business".
"The position of the IOC is very clear. We have two National Olympic Committees, that is the difference with the world of politics, and in this respect both have been living in peaceful co-existence," he told a press conference in Paris.
"The Palestinian NOC has greatly benefitted. Palestine is not a recognized member state of the UN but the NOC is a recognized National Olympic Committee enjoying the equal rights and opportunities like all the other NOCs," continued Bach.
Meanwhile, Macron said, "Israeli athletes are welcome in our country. They must be able to compete under their colors because the Olympic movement has decided it."
Macron was quoted as having told France 2 television in an interview that it was "France's responsibility to provide them with security".
"I condemn in the strongest possible way all those who create risks for these athletes and implicitly threaten them," he said.
The attempt to bar Israel from the Olympics is the latest effort by the Palestinian Authority to have Israel banned from sporting events.
The Palestinian Authority’s (PA) soccer association announced in April that it would call for action against Israel at the annual FIFA congress.
However, FIFA last week postponed the decision on the PA request to suspend Israel from international soccer, clearing the way for the Israeli men’s national team to play at the Paris Olympics.