An Israeli player playing in the Turkiye professional soccer league got into trouble for making a ceremony related to the Israel-Hamas war during a game.
According to reports on the 15th (local time) by TRT Haver Broadcasting in Türkiye and the Israeli daily Jerusalem Post, Sagib Yehezkel (29), who played for Türkiye Antalyaspor, scored a goal in the game held at Antalya Stadium the night before. He was arrested after making a ceremony by raising his left hand towards the camera behind him.
At the time of the ceremony, the bandage wrapped around his left wrist had the phrase ‘100 days, October 7th’ and the ‘Star of David’, a Jewish symbol, drawn on it. This day marked the 100th day of the war between Israel and the Palestinian armed faction Hamas.
Accordingly, the Turkiye Antalya Prosecutor’s Office arrested Yehezkel after the game, saying, “He openly incited public hatred and hostility,” and released him after completing the investigation.
Antalyaspor also announced that it would immediately exclude Yehezkel from the player list. The club said, “Our national values are more important than anything else. “No matter how much this player brings to us, we will terminate him and his contract.”
Turkiye strongly and publicly criticizes Israel during this phase of the war and supports Palestine and Hamas. Among Türkiye soccer fans, there is also a claim that Eden Karchev, an Israeli player from Istanbul Basaksehir, who posted a post on social media calling for the release of hostages, should also be sanctioned.
When the ceremony became controversial, Yehezkel told local media, “I just wanted to make a humanitarian gesture for the Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip,” and added, “I did not intend to provoke Türkiye because I know he is sensitive to this issue.” “He explained. Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying it had “made efforts to secure Yehezkel’s speedy release” and that he would return home.
Israeli National Security Minister Zaitamar Ben-Gbir posted a message on Do not visit, do not buy Turkic budget products and do not support them. He strongly criticized them, saying, “We must not be trampled on by them.”
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also said, “When the earthquake hit Turkiye just a year ago, Israel was the first to provide assistance and saved the lives of many Turkic people,” adding, “Arresting Yehezkel shows hypocrisy and ingratitude. “Through this, Türkiye is effectively acting as Hamas’ executive body,” he pointed out.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also said, “This is the Turkiye of 2024,” and added, “The Turkiye government should be ashamed of itself.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.