European Olympic Committees move meeting out of Israel

Israeli soldiers prepare an artillery emplacement on the border with Gaza. The European Olympic Committees moved the annual general assembly out of Israel in light of fighting that began on Nov. 14. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The European Olympic Committees are moving their general assembly meeting scheduled for Dec. 7-8 out of Israel, reports the Associated Press. EOC President Pat Hickey said the meeting would be relocated to Rome due to the ongoing violence between Israel and Hamas.

"Many NOCs [national Olympic committees] voiced concerns about safety and security," said Hickey. He added that "an overwhelmingly amount were not prepared to travel" to Israel for the annual meeting.

The EOC is comprised of 49 Olympic committees, and about 500 delegates are expected to attend the meeting.

more than 2,000 rockets had been fired between the two groups and nearly 1,000 people wounded