In Response to BBC's Map: Olympic Team Salutes Jerusalem

by Elad Benari

Israel’s Olympic team has decided to respond to the BBC’s assertion that Jerusalem is not Israel’s capital, by preparing a video in which Israeli athletes are seen saying they are proud to represent Israel “and its capital Jerusalem.”

The British broadcast authority, which has often been charged with bias against Israel, has come under fire for listing “East Jerusalem” as the capital for the “Palestinian Olympic team" while leaving Israel listed without a capital.

After Israel and Jews around the world complained, the BBC partly corrected its mistake and stated that Israel’s "seat of government is Jerusalem" while still omitting Jerusalem as the capital. Just to get its point across, it added, "Most foreign embassies reside in Tel Aviv." 

Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai has also come to the rescue in a YouTube video, in which he says that although his city is “one of the coolest cities in the world and Israel’s financial and cultural center, we are not Israel’s capital. Jerusalem is Israel’s capital.”

Huldai invited Britain’s Jews to visit Tel Aviv and enjoy its beaches and tourist sites. Putting aside the longtime contest  between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv residents over which is the better city, he stated categorically that after  tourists finish visiting all of the city’s attractions, “you are welcome to visit the historical and religious sites of the capital of Israel – Jerusalem."

Tags: BBC ,London Olympics ,London 2012 ,Jerusalem

More on this topic

• Jerusalem Commander Shacham Suspended in Criminal Case
• Bnei Akiva Presents: The Jerusalem Tent of Unity and Dialogue
• Munich Widows Call for Silent Protest at Opening Ceremony
• Israel's Olympic Windsurfer Shahar Tzuberi is 'Peaceful, Calm'
• Video: ‘Tel Aviv is Cool but Jerusalem is the Capital’

As published online at ArutzSheva, 26 July 2012