Ninth International Conference on Sport & Society

Abstract

“Operation Protective Edge” the round of violence between Israel and the Hamas in Gaza during the summer of 2014, had a negative impact on almost every sphere of life in Israel including sports; Leagues were postponed; Israeli national teams and sports clubs had to host their international home games abroad; international competitions scheduled to take place in Israel were postponed, cancelled, or moved abroad; bids for future events were lost; Israeli athletes were attacked abroad; racism against Arabic athletes manifested in Israel and Israeli athletes and federations faced international boycotts and threats of suspension. The purpose of this research is to explore and analyze the way the round of violence between Israel and the Hamas impacted Israeli sports inside and outside Israel’s borders during the 2014-2015 season and the effect on Israel’s use of sports for branding and public diplomacy purposes. This case study is based on theories from nation branding and public diplomacy and is significant to the fields of soft power and sports diplomacy, especially for countries going through a prolong conflict.