05/14/26 11:14:00
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05/14 08:27 CDT Israeli minister criticizes Barcelona star Lamine Yamal for
waving Palestinian flag
Israeli minister criticizes Barcelona star Lamine Yamal for waving Palestinian
flag
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) --- Israel's defense minister has criticized Barcelona's
teenage star Lamine Yamal for his waving of a Palestinian flag during
celebrations of the Spanish league title win, saying the act "incites hate."
"Lamine Yamal chose to incite hate against Israel while our soldiers combat the
terrorist organization Hamas, an organization that massacred, raped and burned
Jewish children, women and the elderly on Oct. 7, (2023)" minister Israel Katz
wrote on X on Thursday.
The 18-year-old Yamal waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus
during a victory parade by Barcelona's team through the city on Monday. The
parade drew some 750,000 people to celebrate the league title clinched the
previous day, local authorities said.
Yamal, who is Muslim, posted pictures of him holding the flag on his Instagram
account.
Spain's government and a large part of its population have been highly critical
of Israel's military operations that killed tens of thousands of Palestinians
in Gaza in response to the 2023 Hamas surprise attack.
There has been a global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of
the war in Gaza, which has spread to sport and culture. Protests have been seen
in soccer, cycling and basketball. Last year's Spanish Vuelta was repeatedly
disrupted by protesters angry with the participation of an Israeli-backed
cycling team.
Spain is also one of five countries boycotting this year's Eurovision Song
Contest to protest Israel's inclusion.
Yamal is set to star for Spain at next month's World Cup to be played in North
America.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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