Two Ethiopian female runners disappear during Jerusalem marathon
By: Shifra Unger
(Scroll down for video) The marathon held in Jerusalem, Israel, has attracted thousands of people, including many people from around the world.
Many police officers were on duty in areas where the runners passed through. There was heightened security in and around Jerusalem. Yet, two Ethiopian women vanished without a trace. The women, both about 20-years-old, arrived in Israel to participate in the marathon.
The Ethiopian runners who participated in the Jerusalem Marathon started the race last week, but disappeared before reaching the finish line. The women left their passports and personal belongings with the organizers before the race and were never seen again.
Authorities have launched a search for the women in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
Israeli authorities said that there can be a host of reasons for the women’s disappearance. At this point, it seems likely that the two women took advantage of the sporting event as an opportunity to escape poverty in their home country and remain in Israel, which is home to a large community of African immigrants.
About 20,000 people participated in the marathon, which included almost 2,000 people from around the world. Abraham Kabeto Ketla of Ethiopia won the marathon with a time of 2:16:29:25. He set a new record for the Jerusalem International
source:
Gaza marathon canceled after Hamas government bans female runners
(Scroll down for video) The marathon in the Gaza Strip which has been scheduled to kick off in the near future has been canceled after the Hamas government banned female runners from participating in the event, according to a statement released by the United Nations.
The main U.N. agency in Gaza, has canceled its annual marathon, after the territory's rulers, Hamas, banned women from the race.
Hamas said that females participating in the fundraising event, scheduled for April, is in direct contradiction to Islamic tradition.
"We regret this decision to cancel the marathon, but we do not want men and women running together," Abdessalam Siyyam, the cabinet secretary of the Hamas government, said.
"I did not tell the United Nations agency to cancel the marathon and I did not prevent it, but I set some conditions: We do not want women and men mixed in the same place," he told the press.
The race this year was to include a record number of runners.
U.N. spokesperson Adnan Abu Hassan said that the disappointing decision came following talks with Hamas officials.
"We can not accept banning women from the event. We are committed to the values of the U.N., which strongly advocates gender equality between women and men. We cannot differentiate," a U.N. spokesperson said in a statement.
The UN said the marathon was organized to show solidarity with the Palestinian people and to raise money for summer camp organized by the United Nations.
Authorities said 807 men and women have signed up to run in the race.
By:
See also: Two Ethiopian female runners disappear during Jerusalem marathon
Read more at http://babylonprime.blogspot.com/2013/03/two-ethiopian-female-runners-disappear.html#YV2T3dQjSHWB9fRh.99
