More basketball teams from West Bank settlements enter Israel’s national league
The Israeli Basketball Association and the International Basketball Federation would rather avoid the delicate issue of settlement teams hosting games and playing in the Israel professional national league.
The basketball team Maccabi Maale Adumim defeated Elitzur Shomron 85 to 84 yesterday when the game ended dramatically with a three-point shot by Ariel Deri for the win in the last second.
On the face of it, it was just another game between two groups not especially known to the general public. Still, with both groups located in West Bank settlements, the event bore political significance. It was the first time that two settlement basketball teams competed in the West Bank in the Israeli national professional league.
The unique status of the West Bank has led to many a conflict in the various areas of commerce, culture and higher education between Israel and international bodies, as well as within Israel. In the field of sports, the conflict concerns the legitimacy of sports teams from the settlements.
In the past year, the Maccabi Maale Adumim basketball team rose to the national league, which is the secondary league in Israel and is considered a professional league. It represents the city of Maale Adumim, which is located east of Jerusalem, but it held all of its home games last year in Jerusalem. The following year it renovated its arena to host games. Elitzur Shomron, another settlement team, also rose to the national league.
