Israeli Footballer Uses Turkey Match To Bring Hostages Home, Gets Deported Instead

By Habiba El Madbouly On Jan 16, 2024

On Sunday, January 14th, Israeli player Sagiv Jehezkel was arrested by Turkey, suspended by his club Antalyaspor, and returned to Israel. The reason for that was displaying a message during the game that has the Stars of David, implying support for Israel.

Kamuoyunun Dikkatine

Bugün Trabzonspor ile oynadığımız karşılaşmanın 68’inci dakikasında attığı golden sonra bilgimiz dışında bileğindeki yazıyı paylaşarak propaganda yaptığı görülen Sagiv Jehezkel kadro dışı bırakılmıştır.
— Sinan Boztepe (@sinanboztepee) January 14, 2024

Jehezkel displayed the message on a wristband in front of photographers. While pointing at it, the band had six Stars of David and “100 days, 7/10,” referring to the day when the current events started in Gaza. According to Turkish news media, his message was a call for the war to end.

The president of the Turkish club, Sinan Boztepe, referred to the player’s act as “propaganda.” On the other side, the Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, said Jehezkel’s arrest was “scandalous.”

Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel was led by Turkish security agents to his court hearing after he publicly expressed support for Israel. Israeli leaders are furious, noting that just a year ago, Israel provided aid to Turkey after the country suffered a big earthquake. pic.twitter.com/qSLlx6hzQ1
— Eretz Israel (@EretzIsrael) January 15, 2024

This comes after a similar incident this month when the Algerian footballer Youcef Atal was convicted in France over his social media post that showed support for Gaza. Atal was given an eight-month suspended sentence and ordered to pay a $49,000 fine. The player also apologized for the video.

WE SAID THIS: Don’t Miss…France Convicts Algerian Footballer Youcef Atal Over Gaza Post