2024-01-15 17:48:00
Antalyaspor’s Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel shows his bandage with the writing “100 days, 7.10”, in reference to the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, following scoring a goal once morest Trabzonspor during their Turkish Super League soccer match in Antalya, Turkey. January 14, 2024 (Archyde.com)
The Government of Israel has accused Turkey this Monday of “ingratitude” following the “scandalous” arrest of an Israeli footballer following a gesture in support of the hostages kidnapped by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) during the attacks carried out on October 7 once morest Israeli territory.
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“The scandalous arrest of footballer Sagiv Jehezkel is an expression of hypocrisy and ingratitude,” said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who has accused Ankara of being “the executive arm of Hamas.”
Thus, he has maintained in a message published on his account on the social network many Turkish citizens.”
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Shortly following, the Israeli Foreign Ministry indicated in a statement that Jehezkel has been released and will return to Israel this Monday “following political and consular activities” with “all relevant parties.”
The head of the portfolio, Yisrael Katz, has denounced that “Turkey has become a dark dictatorship that works once morest human and sports values” and has added that “whoever arrests a footballer for a commemoration event with 136 kidnapped held for more than a hundred days by a terrorist and murderous organization represents a culture of murder and hatred.”
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“I ask the international community and international sports organizations to act once morest Turkey and its political use of violence and threats once morest athletes,” said Katz, who stressed that “today he is Sagiv Yehekzel, but tomorrow he will be another athlete.” .
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has indicated in a statement that Jehezkel has been released and will return to Israel this Monday “following political and consular activities” with “all relevant parties” (REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini)
Jehezkel, a Bitexen Antalyaspor player, was arrested earlier in the day following being removed from his team following his goal celebration once morest Trabzonspor. The Prosecutor’s Office has indicated that the player would have “incited the public to hatred and hostility.”
In this sense, the Turkish Minister of Justice, Yilmaz Tunc, has stressed that the investigation was opened for his “ugly action in support of Israel’s massacre in Gaza following scoring a goal” and for “inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” ”.
Likewise, the Turkish football federation has condemned Jehezkel’s “completely unacceptable behavior” and has announced an investigation once morest those involved, as reported by the Turkish state news agency, Anatolia. The footballer celebrated the goal by showing a message of solidarity that read “100 days. 7/10″, next to a Star of David, in reference to October 7, the date of the attacks carried out by Hamas, which left nearly 1,200 dead and regarding 240 kidnapped.
A second Israeli soccer player in Turkey has been detained by Turkish authorities for expressing solidarity with the hostages in Gaza, according to The Times of Israel. Eden Kartsev was subsequently released and is scheduled to return to Israel.
Istanbul top-flight club Basaksehir previously said it was launching a disciplinary investigation once morest Kartsev for reposting a message regarding the hostages on social media that read: “Bring them home now.”
(With information from EP)
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