Jassim Alhatem, a jiu-jitsu gold medalist for Kuwait, refused to shake the hand of Israeli bronze medalist Yoav Manor in a medal ceremony Friday that took place in Abu Dhabi.
In a video from Alhatem of him speaking Arabic, with translations in English on social media, he went on to defend his actions while branding Israel as a “Zionist entity” and saying that men in Islam “must have a principle.”
In the men’s blue belt amateur under-77kg division, with the event being held at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour, Manor won the bronze medal following three victories in four of his matches, per the official results from AJP. The World Tour is an event under the Abu Dhabi Jiu Jitsu Pro (AJP) umbrella. To win gold, Alhatem was victorious in all four bouts he competed in. (RELATED: All Hell Breaks Loose In Nantes, Toulouse Game After Fans Breach Security, Storm Field)
However, tensions rapidly showed up during the podium ceremony.
Alhatem refused to shake hands with Manor and chose not to be involved with the winners’ photo due to his presence. Israeli delegation members close by spoke with Ynet News and claimed that Alhatem stated, “You Israelis kill children.” They also stated that Alhatem allegedly said that he wouldn’t have taken on Manor if he made it into the final.
WATCH:
“As a Muslim you must have principles… as a Kuwaiti we do not respect them at all.”
Kuwaiti jui-jitsu champion Jassim Al Hatem refused to shake hands with his Israeli opponent during the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam medal ceremony yesterday, saying he acted in line with his moral… pic.twitter.com/zt2jxZmgYJ
— 5Pillars (@5Pillarsuk) May 18, 2026
Alhatem came to the defense of himself, alleging that the Israeli attempted to play the victim by trying to shake hands in front of the cameras.
“Even though I had spoken to him before the podium and told him, ‘I don’t want to know you, and I don’t want to greet you. Stay on your side, and I’ll stay on my side, so [there would be] no problem,’” said Alhatem.
It was made clear by Alhatem that he didn’t see the situation as normal when it comes to sportsmanship.
“We do not play with these types. We do not respect these types,” said Alhatem.
From there, Alhatem ratcheted things up.
“As Kuwaitis, we do not respect them at all,” said Alhatem.