Turkey detains Israeli footballer for supporting the war on Gaza, accuses him of 'ugly gesture'

AFP , Ahram Online , Monday 15 Jan 2024

Turkish authorities have detained soccer club Antalyaspor’s Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel for questioning after he displayed solidarity with the Israeli war during a top-flight league game.

Switzerland s defender Ricardo Rodriguez, left, fight for the ball with Israel s midfielder Sagiv Jehezkel during the Euro 2024 qualifying group I soccer match between Switzerland and Israel, at the Stade de Geneve, in Geneva, Switzerland. AP

Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Sunday the Israeli international is under investigation over possible charges of “openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Tunc maintained in a statement posted on X that Jehezkel had engaged in “an ugly gesture in support of the Israeli massacre in Gaza.”

After scoring a goal for his team against Trabsonspor, Jehezkel revealed a message which read “100 days. 07/10” on a bandage on his left wrist.

The gesture was deemed to be provocative in Turkey where there is widespread public opposition to Israeli war on Gaza and overwhelming support for the Palestinians.

Antalyaspor suspended Jehezkel from the team and announced that it was speaking to the club's lawyers about the possibility of terminating his contract.

The Turkish Football Federation condemned what it said was a gesture that “disturbed the conscience” of the Turkish public.

Since the start of the war, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has repeatedly described Israel as a “terrorist state,” affirming that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is worse than Adolf Hitler, insisting Hamas is a “group of liberators.”