Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Outside Davis Cup

ESPN.com reports that demonstrators clashed with police outside Baltic Stadium in Malmo, Sweden as the Swedes won the doubles match Saturday to take a 2-1 lead against Israel in the Davis Cup series.
Davis Cup officials allowed only 300 special guests inside the 4,000 seat hall citing security issues providing a depressing atmosphere for Sweden's victory. Israeli tennis player Andy Ram said it was a "stupid decision" to play the match behind closed doors and that "playing without a crowd is like playing a practice match." 7,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in a square downtown to listen to speeches condemning Israel's offensive in Gaza and urging support for Palestinians. Organizers of the "stop the match" protest had said the demonstration would be peaceful, but extreme-left activists had vowed to disrupt the match. About 100 people were apprehended and at least six were arrested for rioting, there were no reports of injuries.
This article interests me because it demonstrates the reaches of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict into wider interactions of the international community, such as sports. When an Israeli athlete travels abroad, is he or she obligated to show their feelings regarding recent events? Could an Israeli athlete's expression of dissatisfaction with recent escalations by their government's military serve any real purpose, or are they obligated to show unwavering support and be 'patriotic'? When one looks at the history of the conflict in light of international athletic competition, the immediate event that comes to mind is the tragic Munich Olympic Games in 1972. However more recently, Israeli tennis star Shahar Peer was denied a visa preventing her from competing in the in the Sony Ericsson World Tennis Association Tour in Dubai. Although these events are less significant in comparison to the overall violence and bloodshed, I feel that there is something to be said regarding the "exterior" or indirect components of the conflict, such as athletics. Why do countries find it necessary to allow the conflict into seemingly unrelated events?