Why are Israel allowed to compete in the European Championship at football ? Last time I looked at the map they were definitely in the Middle East .

Cos they don’t want to play with their neighbors?

Oh, and they’re special, nach

Its an “associated state of europe”

Largely because for some reason non of its neighbours want to come out and play

Cos’ Israel gets to do what it wants?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_in_the_Eurovision_Song_Contest

Last time I looked at the map they were definitely in the Middle East .

Last time I looked the Middle East wasn’t a continent…

No, it’s in Asia though.

Bet the bastards make a bloody good wall though.

They pay the EU some lump of money to take part in a number of the community activities of the EU too, Horizon2020, Erasmus, ERC and others too, no doubt

chakaping – Member
Bet the bastards make a bloody good wall though.

😆 chapeau!

Problem is, they always think attack is the best form of defence.

Last time I looked at the map they were definitely in the Middle East

Are you sure ? None of the Israeli government spokesmen I see interviewed on the news ever seem to have Middle Eastern accents. Which is strange as most Middle Eastern government spokesmen have Middle Eastern accents.

Persecution guilt?

Yes, but in sport you can play for any nationality these days 😉

Interesting point. there’s the African Cup of Nations and European Championship. Do the Middle Eastern countries have their own championship ?

@ernie – it makes sense to have natural English speakers as spokespeople in English no ? Most have learnt their English in the UK or the US whilst studying hence their accents.

Asian FIFA members (eg Lebanon and Palestine – Israel used to play in this tournament) play in the AFC Asian Cup. there is also the Gulf Cup of Nations.

African FIFA members (Egypt, Tunisia) play in the African Cup of Nations.

Israel doesn’t play in the Asian tournament because it was kicked out of the AFC after the Yom Kippur War: http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel_Football_Association

Also, Cyprus is in UEFA even though (“apparently”) it’s entirely in Asia.

I don’t imagine the chances of survival for their athletes would be very high playing away games at any of their neighbours.

I don’t imagine the chances of survival for their athletes would be very high playing away games at any of their neighbours.

they do a good job of starting a fight between themselves 🙄

@ernie – it makes sense to have natural English speakers as spokespeople in English no ? Most have learnt their English in the UK or the US whilst studying hence their accents.

💡 Or perhaps most are just British or American and not in fact Middle Eastern, you know, unlike the Palestinians whose land they’ve taken and who are actually Middle Eastern ?

What does “Middle Eastern” mean? Jews originally came from the Middle East too. Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham.

And Europeans originally came from Africa. Perhaps it’s time to take Africa back ?

bencooper – Member

What does “Middle Eastern” mean?

Somewhere around Whitby?

They are also in the Eurovision.

Their English accents might be different to what you associate as Middle Eastern because they speak Hebrew rather than Arabic.

So speaking Hebrew makes you speak English with an American accent ?

So speaking Hebrew makes you speak English with an American accent ?

I was merely saying that their English dialect might sound different, as they speak a different language. You did not mention that they sounded American.

“Isaac and Ishmael, sons of Abraham.”

I know it didn’t do well at the box office, but it seems unfair to leave Ishtar off the list.

Have you never heard Israeli government spokesmen on TV news then ?

They often have accents which bear no connection with the Middle East.

Yes. To me it usually sounds like someone who speaks Hebrew as a first language but also speaks very good English.

They watch a lot of American TV though if that helps with your generalisation.

it seems unfair to leave Ishtar off the list.

To be fair until Bencooper mentioned it I wasn’t aware that Isaac and Ishmael were still alive. I think it’s reasonable that they should be allowed to live in Palestine.

They watch a lot of American TV

So that’s why Israeli government spokesmen always seem to speak with American accents ! 😆

Yawn.

They watch a lot of American TV
So that’s why Israeli government spokesmen always seem to speak with American accents !

Is that the same reason the IS guys all seem to have London or brummie accents, they’re big fans of Eastenders and Crossroads?

TBF, Crossroads (the soap and the Britney Spears movie) would make anyone think twice about western values.

TBF, Crossroads (the soap and the Britney Spears movie) would make anyone think twice about western values

So the balaclavas they wear are some kind of Benny tribute?

If you post something with royal mail it is in europe too (as ooposed to ‘rest of world zones 1&2’) actually no its not. Oops.

I’m not really sure being a land mass in Europe is a requirement to play in the competition.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are also in Asia

If it helps, MrsMC’s aunt now speaks English with an Israeli accent, but she’s been out there 50 years. No idea what her Hebrew sounds like.

My understanding was that they deliberately put up spokespeople with English or American accents because they believe that it strengthens their case that they are ‘one of us’ not ‘the other’ and means they’re more likely to have their message favourably received.

“Armenia and Azerbaijan are also in Asia”

like most of Russia and Turkey, and all of Kazakhstan, and they’re all in UEFA too.

ernie_lynch

They often have accents which bear no connection with the Middle East.

It seems that the head of the IDF International Branch and lead spokesperson is originally from London but moved to Israel when he was 12 – so speaks English in an English accent.

you know, unlike the Palestinians whose land they’ve taken and who are actually Middle Eastern ?

Are you warming up for Facebook or is it not anonymous enough for you?

It seems that the head of the IDF International Branch and lead spokesperson is originally from London but moved to Israel …..

If you think really hard about it you might eventually realise that was the point I was making.

Israel is a Western colony in the Middle East.

Israel is the only country in the world that I’m aware of which still talks of having “settlers”.

They are settlers because they are colonizing land. Land which belongs to the Palestinian people.