Palestinian Delegation Thanks Olympic Committee for Denying Moment of Silence to Honor Murdered Israelis

The head of the Palestinian Olympic delegation has thanked the International Olympic Committee for denying, again, requests to hold a moment of silence to honor the 11 Israeli athletes murdered at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In a letter sent Tuesday to IOC President Jacques Rogge, Jibril Rajoub said any show of solidarity with the victims would constitute "racism." The Palestinian terror group Black September was responsible for the slayings.

“Sports are a bridge for love, communication and the spreading of peace between nations and should not be used for divisiveness and the spread of racism,” Rajoub wrote, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

A senior Palestinian Authority official told the Jerusalem Post that Palestinians are opposed to "Israel's attempts to exploit the Olympic games for propaganda purposes."

Responding to the letter, a senior Israeli official said that "if the leadership of the PA is not willing to disassociate itself from its terrorist past, and is unwilling to see the Munich massacre as a brutal act of terrorism, then in Israeli eyes there will be big questions regarding their true commitment to peace and reconciliation," according to the Jerusalem Post.

The London Games kick off Friday.