Lebanese 8-year-old chess player Loren Abdel Samad withdrew from two scheduled matches against 'Israeli' opponents during the World Youth Chess Championship for the under-eight age category, held in Batumi, Georgia, from June 14-27, 2026 – according to a report on Lebanese media The withdrawals resulted in automatic losses and cost her points that could have influenced her final standing in the tournament, the reports said. Family cites personal stance According to her family speaking to Lebanese media, Abdel Samad chose not to face the 'Israeli' players despite knowing the decision would affect her tournament score. Her father, Bassam Abdel Samad, told local media that his daughter "withdrew from the games against two Israeli players intentionally." He added that she closely follows the news and has seen "the destruction of homes and the targeting of children." "Even if Lebanese law allowed her to play against the Israeli players, she would not have done so," he said, adding that she holds a firm personal position despite her young age. Rising young talent Before competing at the World Youth Chess Championship, Abdel Samad had already built an impressive record in Lebanon. She won first place in the Lebanese American University (LAU) Chess Championship and claimed the Lebanese Chess Federation title in her age category. After returning to Beirut, the young player is preparing to compete in the 2026 Lebanese Chess Championship.
Short term this might get some PR, but its not a good strategy.
At this age it is ideal to show those Israeli kids that people of other ethnicities and religions are very much like then.
That way, when an adult tells them to be racist, they have a lived experience that contradicts that.
Hard disagree, 80% of Israelis support expelling all Palestinians and over 60% support the genocide. Pariah state needs to be treated as such and the world needs Israelis to personally suffer consequences for it’s genocide. It’s not racist it’s drawing a line in the sand.
I ask you the question then. Why, after 1500 years of wars between French and Germans, are they no longer fighting after WW2? Why is there little to no animosity left after less than 3 generstions?
Because they both became client states of the US post WW2 and fighting between client states isn’t allowed.
You are missing the question, why is their almost no animosity between them after so many centuaries in conflict?
Because again they have both been demoted to client state and given a nice stream of outside “enemies” to unite against.
You seem stuck on thinking of them as governments and not nations, it is not the same. Why would the people give up 1500 years of conflict like that?
Many reasons like much of the conflict being nonsense spun up by the governments so they could have conflict (I really doubt the people of Brest and Rostok genuinely hated each other for legitimate reasons), and new “better” enemies being bestowed upon them by their new owner mainly Muslims, Russians and Chinese people. Also I wouldn’t say the conflict is gone so much as it has been relegated to second place and thus is not pushed and therefore heard much, I’m sure of you asked either group they’d gladly regale you with tides of pejoratives and racism about each other.
Yet conflict is nearly impossible between them. They are too economically en culturally intertwined.
Same with Japan and the US, Poland and Germany.
As uncomfortable as it seems for the propaganda and religion riddled middle east, the only solution for peace with Israel is for the region to be politically and culturally integrated.
But both sides have been taking turns with small and large genocides over the last 1500 years. Currently the Israelis are taking their turn with a particularly brutal genocide.
The religious, political and economic elite in the region have been using racism, Zionism and Islam to keep the people weak and focused on the “other”, so they don’t look too hard at how they are being exploited.
The only way out is economic, political and cultural integration. The two state solution will always result in more conflict and its orchestrated that way by the regional powers.
The solution I suggest is one state, lottery based democracy, secular and socialist. It will be difficult for a generation, but its the only proven model for ending forever wars, and infinitly better than what they currently have.
That is why I think boycotting cultural events is counter productive. It just serves the elites to keep people divided.
Israelis need to learn they are evil should get off Palestinian land. No normalization with colonizers. No need to befriend a third you’re going to kick out of your stolen home.