There Is A Ban On Entry, A Number Of Israeli Racers Participate In The Dakar Rally In Saudi Arabia

Ilustrasi reli. (Gabriel Aguirre / Unsplash)

JAKARTA - A number of racers from Israel are known to have participated in the 2021 Dakar Rally car race that was held in Saudi Arabia on January 3-15.

The Israeli driver's participation comes amid a ban on entering Saudi Arabia for Israelis. Launching Anadolu from the Times of Israel Monday, January 18, this entry ban was issued by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Two Israeli racers Danny Pearl and Charly Gotlib entered the kingdom with their Israeli passports to represent Belgium in a race. Meanwhile, two other Israelis participated under the US-flagged CRV team.

There were also two Israeli drivers who took part under an Israeli DNA testing company known as MyHerritage. They were accompanied by Nirit Ofir, a researcher at the Ezri Center for Gulf Studies, who posted photos of a Saudi Arabian driver at the rally on his Facebook account.

According to Israeli media, Saudi Arabian authorities became aware of the presence of Israeli racers at the event. The right-wing Israeli newspaper Arutz Sheva said the committee had asked that their presence be kept secret until they left Saudi Arabia.

However, there was no comment from the Saudi authorities on the claim. It is known that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia prohibits Israeli citizens from entering the kingdom's territory, except Palestinian-Israelis who are allowed to enter the country for religious pilgrimages.