ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the variety and promise of challenges facing Israel in utilising sport diplomacy in light of the ongoing Israeli–Palestinian conflict. The chapter examines three realms: the first is the international sport events realm, where the analysis identifies the determinant role of wars and peace agreements in Israel’s acceptance of or rejection from global sport events. The second part examines the ability of non-state agents, mostly the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, to thwart Israel’s sport diplomacy efforts. This section identifies that the potency of the BDS movement is dramatically lower than that of other governments. The third section examines the issue from the citizen level, identifying the central role of politics in both fandom of local sport teams in Israel and in the treatment and perception of national sport teams during international events. Overall, the chapter identifies that the Israeli–Palestinian conflict mostly hampers Israel’s sport diplomacy efforts but that recent developments, specifically the four peace agreements signed between Israel and its neighbours in 2020, could dramatically promote Israel’s ability to utilise sport diplomacy to promote its global stance.
