How a German Businessman Ended Up Representing Palestine in Rio

Christian Zimmermann, 55, stands out among the other members of the Palestinian Olympic team. Though it is unclear how he gained a Palestinian citizenship, his curious story seems to be a mix of both ideology and opportunism.

Aug 03, 2016 4:28 PM

Among the six athletes on the Palestinian team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, one very non-Palestinian person stands out: an older, European-looking man named Christian Zimmermann. He is a...

Comments

Sign in to join the conversation.

Sort comments by

1

ICYMI

An evangelical woman from the U.S. picking grapes in the West Bank. Free volunteers is just one of the ways Christians help settlers

Revealed: The Evangelical Money Flowing Into the West Bank

Herodion fortress

Ring of Roman Governor Who Crucified Jesus Found Near Bethlehem

A satellite image of Tehran.

Tehran Is Sinking, and It May Be Irreversible

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a meeting at the United Nations in New York on March 27, 2018.

Saudi Arabia and U.S. on Collision Course

Discovery of a missing piece of Antikythera Mechanism on the Aegean sea floor

Missing Piece of World's Oldest Computer Found on Aegean Seabed

David Myers

'BDS Is Nonviolent. It Wouldn't Have Existed Without the Occupation'

China's Vice President Wang Qishan, right, laughs as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu makes a face as they tour the Israeli Innovation Summit in Jerusalem, Wednesday, October 24, 2018.

'Trump Will Be Furious': Admin Angry Over Growing Israel-China Ties

Yuval Noah Harari. Minimizes the danger of terrorism, calling it 'theater'

How Yuval Noah Harari Became the Pet Ideologist of the Liberal Elites

Weight that may have been used in the First Temple found in Jerusalem sifting project

Tiny Artifact With a Biblical Secret Unearthed in Jerusalem

Consulate staff seen behind the entrance of the Saudi Arabia's Consulate in Istanbul. Oct. 17, 2018

The Grisly Hit-job on Khashoggi Is a Disaster for Israel

The Arous brochure for European tourists.

The Mossad Ran a Fake Diving Resort for Tourists in Sudan. This Is the Incredible Story Behind It

ToHa Tower on Totzeret Haaretz Street in Tel Aviv.

The Most Talked About New Building in Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Knesset. July 2018

The Israel You Know Just Ended. You Can Thank Netanyahu

Naftali Bennett speaks during a vigil, to remember the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue, Pittsburgh, October 28, 2018.

American Jews May Never Forgive Israel for Its Reaction to the Pittsburgh Massacre

Former Obama aides Colin Kahl, Ben Rhodes and Caroline Tess - all targeted by Israeli spy firm Black Cube.

Why Israeli Firm Black Cube Went After Obama's Team

Pakistani news channels dedicated hours to analyzing the likelihood an Israeli airplane landed in Islamabad

Did Netanyahu Secretly Visit Pakistan?

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a campaign rally at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas, October 22, 2018.

Opinion Relax. Trump Won't Put All the Jews in Camps. Only the Democrats

An Haaretz investigation reveals Israel to be a top exporter of tools to help dictators track dissidents all over the world.

Revealed: Israel's Cyber-spy Industry in the Service of Dictators

A cylindrical seal found in the ruins of the Middle Bronze Age city at Tel Shimron

Archaeologists Scramble to Save Last Unexplored Biblical City

Daniel Kahneman. "People don’t want to be happy the way I’ve defined the term – what I experience here and now."

Why Nobel Prize Winner Daniel Kahneman Gave Up on Happiness