Short answer: No. As of August 2026, Naomi Osaka has never made a public statement in support of Israel, and there is no record of her expressing support for Palestine either. Her only documented connection to the subject is a first-round tennis match against Israeli player Lina Glushko in December 2024, where pro-Palestinian protesters disrupted play. Osaka's on-record comment about the incident was neutral and did not touch on Israel, Palestine, or the war.
What Naomi Osaka has actually said and done
- December 30, 2024: At the ASB Classic in Auckland, New Zealand, Osaka played Israeli player Lina Glushko in the first round. Protesters from the Palestine Solidarity Network Aotearoa gathered outside the venue chanting "Free Palestine," "Israel is a terror state," and "Israel out," briefly halting play twice during the first set. Osaka won the match 6-4, 6-4, according to reporting from the Times of Israel and the New Zealand Herald.
- December 30, 2024: Asked afterward about the disruption, Osaka told the New Zealand Herald only that "I heard a lot of shouting and then I was told by people on the sidelines that there was a protest," adding that it had not affected her play. She made no statement about Israel, Palestine, or the protesters' cause, and separately called Glushko "a really amazing opponent," per the Times of Israel.
- October 14, 2023: Osaka's then-boyfriend, rapper Cordae, posted pro-Palestinian content on Instagram, including a repost from British MP Jeremy Corbyn criticizing Western support for Israel's military response, as reported by Sportskeeda. This was Cordae's statement, not Osaka's; she did not comment on it publicly.
- 2019 (biographical background): Osaka's family background is Japanese and Haitian, with her mother from Hokkaido, Japan, and her father from Jacmel, Haiti, as detailed by The Conversation. No Jewish ancestry has been reported in any biographical source.
- August 2026: Osaka remains an active WTA player, competing at the DC Open and entering the National Bank Open in Toronto, according to SI.com. No Israel-related statements, donations, or boycott actions appear anywhere in her recent public record.
The bigger picture
Naomi Osaka is a Japanese tennis champion, a four-time Grand Slam singles winner, known primarily for her on-court success and her advocacy on mental health and racial justice in the United States. She has no Jewish heritage and no documented personal or professional connection to Israel, Israeli causes, or Israeli organizations.
Her single notable brush with the Israel-Palestine issue came on December 30, 2024, when she faced Israeli player Lina Glushko in the first round of the ASB Classic in Auckland. Demonstrators gathered outside the venue and disrupted play twice with chants against Israel. Osaka went on to win the match, and when asked about the disruption afterward, she gave a brief, apolitical answer describing what she heard and confirming it hadn't affected her game. She did not weigh in on Israel, Palestine, or the war in that response or in any other public statement found in the record.
Her former boyfriend, rapper Cordae, posted pro-Palestinian content in October 2023, but that reflects his own views, not any statement or endorsement from Osaka herself. The two have since ended their relationship, and there is no indication she ever adopted or echoed his position.
No evidence surfaced of Osaka taking part in any boycott of Israel or Israeli products, appearing at an Israel-related event, donating to Israeli or Palestinian causes, or commenting specifically on Israel's actions, policies, or existence. As of August 2026 she remains active on the WTA tour, and this picture has not changed.
The bottom line
There is no public record of Naomi Osaka supporting Israel. Her only documented intersection with the topic is a neutral, apolitical comment after a December 2024 match against an Israeli opponent that was disrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters. She has not taken a public position for or against Israel.
For those who wear their own answer
Plenty of fans don't wait for a celebrity to declare where they stand. If you already know how you feel about Israel, our I Stand With Israel collection lets you say it plainly, no ambiguity, no waiting on a quote that may never come.
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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
