Washington, D.C.--Congressman Eliot Engel condemned the United Arab Emirates (UAE) decision to deny entry to Israeli tennis player Shahar Peer – who is ranked 45th in the world - from inclusion in the Barclay Dubai Tennis Championships which concluded this week. Rep. Engel co-authored a letter to President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Hahyan with Rep. Shelley Berkley, urging the President to not repeat this decision in the future.

“I understand that there are concerns about the safety of Israeli athletes – as we learned all too well in the 1972 Olympics – especially when traveling to an Arab country. However, it was not the government of the UAE’s decision to make – it was Ms. Peer’s decision. If she wanted to compete – she should have been allowed to compete. It is the UAE’s responsibility to protect the visiting athletes and if extra security is needed, then extra security should be provided,” said Rep. Engel.

Recently, the UAE permitted an Israeli men’s player, Andy Ram, access into the upcoming men’s tournament. “Hopefully, Mr. Ram’s inclusion is an indication that future events will not exclude Israeli athletes and not mean preferential treatment is given to male players. Such differentiations would undermine the UAE’s attempts to improve their relations with the United States and the West,” added Rep. Engel.

The UAE Embassy posted the following quote on their website - "The decision to issue the permit (to Mr. Ram) is in line with the UAE's commitment to a policy of permitting any individual to take part in international sports, cultural and economic events or activities being held in the country, without any limitation being placed on participation by citizens of any member country of the United Nations.”

Rep. Engel commented, “The statement by the UAE government and the action taken to prevent Ms. Peer from playing does not reflect the same policy. I am hopeful that when future events take place in the UAE, another athlete will not be excluded based solely on their country of origin or gender.”