Turkey Releases Israeli Footballer After Charging Him With “Inciting Hatred”

Summary:

• Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel who plays in the Turkish Super Lig was charged with inciting hatred
• Jehezkel got in trouble after he displayed a bandage on his hand supporting Israel
• Israel has asked the international community to take action against Turkey

Israeli footballer Sagiv Jehezkel found himself in trouble in Turkey after he decided to show support for Israel by writing “100 Days 7.10” on a bandage on his hand.

This is in reference to the Oct 7 massacre in Israel carried out by Hamas.

Turkey Launches Investigation Against Jehezkel

Jehezkel plays in the Turkish Super Lig for Antalyaspor raised his hand to display his support for Israel. Also on the bandage was a Star of David. His support for Israel during a football game did not go down well with the Turkish authorities as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been very open with his support for Palestine and Hamas.

Turkey took action very quickly against Jehezkel and charged him for inciting hatred in the country. His club also immediately sacked him for showing support to Israel who has since retaliated by killing thousands in Palestine. The Turkish Football Federation backed Antalyaspor’s decision to terminate Jehezkel and said it was the right decision given that his actions was unacceptable.

A local news agency said that when Jehezkel was questioned by the authorities he said

I am not pro-war. I want this 100-day process to come to an end. I want the war to end.

Jehezkel continued:

I have never engaged in anything related to politics since my arrival. I have never disrespected anyone since the day I arrived. The point I wanted to draw attention to was [the need] for an end of the war.

Israel Not Happy With Turkey’s Response

Israel wasn’t happy to find out that Jehezkel was charged with inciting hatred during a football game and then sacked abruptly. The foreign ministry in Israel opened discussions with local authorities in Turkey and secured the release of Jehezkel who was then put on a private jet and flown back to Israel.

The two sides worked out an agreement rather quickly as they did not want it to blow up into a big fallout. Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has since called on the international sports community to take action against Turkey for their treatment of Jehezkel.