In addition to some supporting facts from below, we suggest including:

• The ways that the Israeli Climbing Federation (ILCA) hurts or obstructs the Palestinian climbing community, and what effect that may have on the sport as a whole.

• How you personally feel about climbing competitions, or the sport as a whole, when you see World Climbing platforming Israel on the international stage.

Fact Sheet 

1.     The ILCA develops, equips, and promotes climbing in at least six areas located in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) and one in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights

a.     The climbing areas in question are located within postal code zones officially recognized by the European Union Commission and the United Nations as Israeli settlements in the OPT

b.     The EU's position is that these settlements are illegal under international law

c.     The ILCA publishes maps, provides its own climbing guides, and collaborates with a national climbing guide that intentionally present these areas as part of Israel, rendering invisible their legal status as Palestinian territory

2.     The ILCA’s appropriation and plagiarism of Palestinian climbing routes and guidebook. One notable case, amongst others, is that of Ein Yabrud, an area initially developed 2014–2015 by Palestinian and international climbers

a.     Ein Yabrud was later included in the "Climbing Palestine” guidebook, published in 2019

b.     In 2022, an Israeli guide to the same area uses the name "Beit El," with institutional support and featuring the logos of World Climbing and the UIAA

c.     The new guide reproduces routes and descriptions already present in the Palestinian guide

d.     Recognition of the original Palestinian developers and first ascents is omitted

e.     The area is renamed using the designation of the nearby illegal Israeli settlement.

f.       Some route names have been changed to Hebrew Scripture references

g.     The visual and descriptive content shows exact similarities to the original Palestinian guide.

h.     In September 2023, Israel declared the crag a “military zone” and Palestinians have been denied access to it ever since. Israelis still climb there.

3.     Israel imposes an apartheid system which the ILCA uses to their benefit, while Palestinian climbing is systematically obstructed

a.     Palestinians from the West Bank are prohibited from accessing the roads used by Israelis, neither on foot nor with their vehicles. This greatly restricts access to their crags

i.       Palestinian climbers must travel long alternative routes on foot to access their climbing routes

ii.     Some climbing areas have been declared military zones, completely restricting access for the Palestinian population

b.     Various sources collect testimonies from Palestinian climbers describing military checkpoints, intimidation, and expulsions by the Israeli army and Israeli settlers while practicing climbing

c.     Palestinians climbers’ efforts to (1) train domestically, (2) develop outdoors climbing crags accessible to them and (3) access international training opportunities is being substantially hindered by Israel, with the support of the ILCA

i.       International mountain guides attempting to enter the West Bank to assist in the development of new climbing sectors and provide climbing training being have been denied entry by Israeli authorities

ii.     Palestinian climbers trying to travel internationally have been arrested by Israel while attempting to legally leave the West Bank

4.     The ILCA and some Israeli athletes are financed by Israeli companies and settlements that have been identified by the UN as illegally profiting from the genocide and/or occupation

a.     The ILCA’s climbing guide for the stolen “Beit El” crag states that “the project was led by route bolters from the Climbing Federation and funded by the Beit El local council, which stepped in to help finance the development.

i.       Beit El is an illegal settlement that was established by the ultranationalist group Gush Emunim in 1977 by seizing the land of three Palestinian villages

b.     Beit Aryeh crag is also on OPT and was financed by an illegal settlement which infamously dumped their raw sewage into a neighboring Palestinian village

i.       The Israeli guidebook openly admits that “the Israel Climbers Club acted together with the very climbers-friendly local [settlement] council to bring the cliff back to life. Today, the cliff can get pretty crowded on weekends, and although located outside the so-called ‘green line’, it offers a relaxed and peaceful atmosphere.”

c.     Athlete Ayala Kerem (amongst other Israeli athletes) is sponsored by Shikun & Binui, a company that profit from the occupation of Palestinian territories and are implicated in violations of international law

i.       In 2025, the UN added the company to their database for businesses involved in illegal annexation of Palestine

ii.     The group also provides equipment, technology, or services to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), including units actively engaged in military operations in Gaza and the West Bank

5.     The ILCA participate in military-related activities at or near the Gaza border through the Brotherhood Pre-Military Academy, where the ILCA runs training programs for military recruits

a.     ILCA has provided training in mountain climbing, rappelling, and physical challenge programs to prepare military recruits for lethal operations

i.       The ILCA has also worked with members of Israeli special forces units such as Maglan and Sayeret Matkal in these trainings

b.     The ILCA organizes and subsidizes workshops directly with the Israeli military to process combat and war experiences

i.       The ILCA describes these as a place for participants to discuss the “ongoing correlation between climbing and war”

c.     ILCA athlete Mor Sapir publicly stated that he completed more than 200 days of reserve service in the IDF during Israel’s military operations in Gaza—operations that the International Court of Justice has found to present a plausible case under the Genocide Convention

d.     ILCA publications from 2023 openly reference many of their staff mobilizing into reserve duty at that time

6.     Relevant World Climbing Statutes and Code of Conduct:

a.     Article 6.3 of the IFSC Statute Guide prohibits discrimination on the basis of nationality, ethnicity, religion, political opinion, or social origin

b.     Article 6.4 requires federations to maintain a safe and respectful sporting environment free from intimidation and exclusion

c.     Article 5.2 of the World Climbing Code of Conduct prohibits discriminatory treatment of any person or group for reasons including nationality, race, religion, language, political preference, or social origin.

7.     Relevant International Law:

The advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 19, 2024, declared Israeli settlements in the OPT illegal and affirmed that all international bodies, including sporting federations, have an obligation under international law not to recognize this situation as lawful, not to provide aid or assistance for its maintenance, and to adopt active measures aimed at bringing it to an end. World Climbing is failing to comply with these obligations.