Israel-Premier Tech has made an attempt to defuse tensions at La Vuelta a España, with daily protests that are affecting the normal course of the race. The protests are against the participation of the Israeli team, which is funded by a Israeli billionaire closed friends with Netanyahu.
La Vuelta organizers asked the team to abandon the race, as they cannot legally expel a team without consequences from UCI (International Cycling Union). Instead, the team has opted for a solution "in the interest of prioritising the safety of our riders and the entire peloton": removing the Israel name from their riders jerseys.
<social>"In light of the dangerous nature of some protests at La Vuelta, Israel - Premier Tech has issued riders with team monogram-branded kit for the remainder of the race. The team name remains Israel - Premier Tech but the monogram kit now aligns with the branding decisions we have previously adopted for our vehicles and casual clothing."</social>
<social>https://x.com/IsraelPremTech/status/1964290172213760257</social>
Will this change reduce in any way Pro-Palestine protests at La Vuelta? We will see, but seems unlikely: the reason why they protest is the participation of the team, regarding its name. Benjamin Netanyahu posted yesterday that he is "proud of the team" and his owner, his friend Sylvan Adams(a Zionist self-proclaimed "ambassador of Israel") for "for not giving in to hate and intimidation".