BARCELONA, Spain (AP) – Israel’s defense minister has criticized comments made by Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal. waving the palestinian flag At the Spanish league victory celebration, he criticized the act as “inciting hatred.”
“(October 7, 2023) While our soldiers are fighting Hamas, the terrorist organization that has massacred, raped, and burned Jewish children, women, and the elderly, Lamine Yamal has chosen to incite hatred against Israel,” Minister Israel Katz wrote on Thursday X.
Yamal, 18, waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus during the Barcelona team’s victory parade around the city on Monday. According to local authorities, about 750,000 people gathered for the parade celebrating the league championship the day before.
Who is Yamaru? muslimposted a photo of himself holding a flag on his Instagram account.
The Spanish government and a large part of the population have been highly critical of the Israeli military operation that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in response to a Hamas surprise attack in 2023.
There was. Global backlash against Israel The humanitarian toll of the Gaza war has also spread to sports and culture. Protests were also seen at soccer, cycling and basketball. Last year’s Vuelta in Spain repeatedly interrupted Demonstrators angry at the participation of an Israeli-backed bicycle team.
Spain is also one of five countries to boycott this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest Israeli participation.
Yamal is set to star in Spain’s national team next month. world cup It will be played in North America.
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