ISRAEL is using the Giro d’Italia to “sportswash” its reputation while cracking down on Palestinian protesters, Amnesty International charged yesterday. 

Cycling’s second biggest race after the Tour de France, the Giro starts in Jerusalem tomorrow, with two further days of racing in Israel over the weekend before the action resumes in Sicily on Tuesday.

Israeli-Canadian billionaire Sylvan Adams and the Israeli government have spent at least £15 million on bringing the race to Jerusalem — the first time the race has started outside Europe — but the largest sports event Israel has hosted will begin against a backdrop of renewed violence.