The International Olympic Committee defended the Middle Eastern nation's right to stay within world sport Tuesday, citing compliance with the Olympic Charter and recognition of both its and the Palestinian committees, after Spain's prime minister led calls to exclude it amid the Gaza war.

Axar.az informs via Inside The Games, in a statement to Spanish news agency EFE, the Lausanne-based orgnisation stressed that "both the National Olympic Committee of Israel and that of Palestine are recognised by the IOC and have the same rights. Both comply with the Olympic Charter and we continue working with them to try to mitigate the impact of the current conflict on athletes."

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is among the most prominent voices demanding Israel's exclusion. "We have seen how European governments are already saying that, while the barbarity continues, Israel cannot use any international platform to whitewash its presence," Sánchez said. "Sports organisations must ask themselves whether it is ethical for Israel to keep competing. Why was Russia expelled after invading Ukraine but not Israel after invading Gaza?"

The IOC also pointed to the Paris 2024 Summer Games, where both delegations competed and their athletes "coexisted peacefully under the same roof in the Olympic Village."

The organisation has used this image as a symbol of the neutrality and dialogue that it says sport should promote. That stance contrasts sharply with Sánchez's, who argued that "neither Russia nor Israel" should be allowed to take part in international competitions "until the barbarity ceases."