A famous female cyclist has had her invitation to speak at an international women’s event rescinded because of her service in the Israeli army.
Leah Goldstein was invited by INSPIRE to the March 8 event in August, but was informed last month that she would no longer be welcome, according to the Times of Israel.
Mr. Goldstein served in the Israeli military more than 30 years ago, but was forced to retire after a “small but growing and extremely vocal group” took issue with his actions.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
A middle school teacher in Georgia has been arrested after allegedly threatening to decapitate a Muslim student who confronted him about the Israeli flag in his classroom. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
“At INSPIRE, our focus has been and continues to be on creating safe spaces to celebrate, share and celebrate the incredible stories of women and non-binary people,” the women’s empowerment organization said in a statement. That’s true.” “Given the current situation and the sensitivity of the Middle East conflict, INSPIRE’s board of directors plans to change the keynote speaker.”
The rescinded invitation took place during the war between Israel and Hamas. INSPIRE reported that Goldstein’s critics had pressed her to share her feelings about the war, but Goldstein said she thought it was “ridiculous” to have to share such thoughts with the group. Ta.
Goldstein says her speech would have stayed away from politics.
“When I speak, I don’t think of it as political at all,” she said. “Honestly, there’s nothing political about my presentation. It’s about the shit I’ve been through and the shit most women have gone through and still go through and how I feel about it.” I’m just talking about how you dealt with it.
“I didn’t want to go down that path, because that’s not my job. They didn’t hire me because I was an IDF soldier. They hired me because I was an IDF soldier. They’re making this political when it should be political. They say, “Well, my presentation isn’t about war. It’s about life.”
On October 7, 2023, two young Palestinian militants were killed near the border fence between the Gaza Strip and Israel after their bicycles were targeted in Gaza. (Ahmad Hasabalah/Getty Images)
Martina Rosenberg, senior vice president for international affairs at the Anti-Defamation League, called Goldstein’s disinvitation “harmful” and unethical.
“Increasingly, Israeli speakers are being disinvited because of their nationality or their service in the Israel Defense Forces,” Rosenberg said. “Let me be clear: Boycotting Israeli speakers is harmful, contrary to free speech, and ultimately counterproductive. It fails to recognize the complexity of the situation.”
Goldstein was born in Vancouver, but lived in Israel during her childhood. She had Israeli nationality as her parents were from Israel.
Smoke rises after Israeli military shelling in the Gaza Strip, seen from southern Israel, January 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
She was the first woman to win a 3,000-mile race in the United States.
Follow Fox News Digital X sports broadcast and subscribe Fox News Sports Huddle Newsletter.
