Israeli defense minister condemns FC Barcelona player for waving Palestinian flag

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned FC Barcelona soccer player Lamine Yamal, who waved a Palestinian flag during a parade on May 11.

Yamal, 18, one of the best players in the world, waved the flag from an open-top bus carrying the Barcelona team in the Catalan capital to celebrate its victory over Real Madrid in the championship game of La Liga, the premiere league of Spanish soccer, on May 10.

“Lamine Yamal chose to incite against Israel and to encourage hatred while our soldiers are fighting the terrorist organization Hamas—an organization that massacred, raped, burned and murdered Jewish children, women and elderly on Oct. 7, [2023],” Katz tweeted on May 14.

“Whoever supports such messages should ask himself: Is this humanitarian in his eyes? Is this morality? … I expect a great and respected club like @FCBarcelona to disavow these things and to make it clear in a sharp and unequivocal manner that there is no place for incitement and support for terrorism,” he added.

According to The Athletic, sports site of The New York Times, Yamal took the flag from a woman who had been carrying it alongside the bus. “The player took it up on board and waved it animatedly while dancing and jumping for three to five minutes, directing himself both towards the crowd and to the photographers who were accompanying the team,” the news site reported.

While Yamal is a practicing Muslim and has spoken about his faith, he has not spoken about the Israel-Gaza conflict, though he has strong views about it, according to sources cited by The Athletic.

The official X account of the Palestinian mission to the United Nations shared a photo of Yamal waving the flag.

When Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was asked during a press conference to comment about the incident, he replied, “Spain has recognized the state of Palestine.”