Israel’s defence minister has criticised Barcelona forward Lamine Yamal for waving a Palestinian flag during the club’s victory celebrations, the report says, calling the gesture one that “incites hate.” Israel Katz wrote on X that “Lamine Yamal chose to incite hate against Israel while our soldiers combat the terrorist organisation Hamas,” and the report quotes him detailing atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct. 7.
The 18-year-old waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus during a victory parade through Barcelona, the report says. The parade, staged after the side clinched the Spanish league title, drew about 750,000 people, local authorities said.
The report notes that Yamal, who is Muslim, posted pictures of himself holding the flag on his Instagram account. His action has drawn public criticism from Israel’s defence minister, per the report.
The report places the incident in a wider context of public reaction to Israel’s military operations in Gaza. It says Spain’s government and a large part of its population have been highly critical of those operations, which the report adds killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza in response to the 2023 Hamas surprise attack.
The report also says there has been a global backlash over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza that has spread into sport and culture, with protests reported in football, cycling and basketball. It cites last year’s Spanish Vuelta being repeatedly disrupted by protesters angered by the participation of an Israeli-backed cycling team, and notes that Spain is among five countries boycotting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest to protest Israel’s inclusion.
The report concludes by noting that Yamal is due to feature for Spain at next month’s World Cup in North America, making the controversy likely to remain in the public eye as the tournament approaches, the report says.
