The Irish team had already notified FIBA Europe that they would not follow the usual pre-match protocols, such as "handing out gifts, shaking hands formally... standing for the national anthem by the centre of the court, instead of by our bench."
Basketball Ireland posted on social media before the game, expressing their dismay at the "false and provocative allegations of antisemitism, made on the official channels of the Israeli Federation."
The Israeli Basketball Association had posted an interview with Israeli player Dor Saar on Tuesday, in which she said, "They are known to be very antisemitic and it's not a secret, and maybe that's why we expect a tough game."
She added, "We have to prove that we are superior to them and beat them. We discuss it among ourselves. We know they hate us and we will give our all on the court always and especially in this game." FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, had previously banned Russia and Belarus for their attacks on Ukraine, but it disgracefully allows Israel to join and be a member despite the genocide.
The Israeli Basketball Association also shared photos of the IDF visiting the Israeli basketball team during their practice sessions.
In the recent weeks, the Irish team and several prominent Irish sports figures had urged Basketball Ireland to boycott the game with Israel, because of the ongoing genocide. Many of them had also created a group called Irish Sport for Palestine, which criticized Basketball Ireland for not calling off the game with Israel.
The game was supposed to take place in Israel in November last year. But, because of the ongoing genocide, Basketball Ireland had asked to delay the game and move it to a more neutral location.
Ireland was the first EU country to state that a free and sovereign Palestinian state was essential to live peacefully with Israel.