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Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz has called on FC Barcelona to publicly distance itself from winger Lamine Yamal after the 18-year-old raised a Palestinian flag during the club's La Liga championship celebrations in Barcelona on May 11.
Katz posted a statement in Spanish on X, saying Yamal had chosen to "incite against Israel and foment hatred" while Israeli soldiers were engaged in military operations against Hamas. He called on the club to make clear that "there is no place for incitement or for support of terrorism."
"As the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, I will not remain silent in the face of incitement against Israel and against the Jewish people," Katz wrote. "I expect a great and respected club like FC Barcelona to distance itself from these statements."
Yamal waved the flag from atop the club's open-top bus after Barcelona defeated Real Madrid 2-0 in El Clasico, securing the club's 29th La Liga title.
He also posted a photo of himself holding the flag on Instagram. A supporter in the crowd handed him the flag, which he raised during the parade through the streets of Barcelona.
The Palestinian Football Association thanked Yamal in a post on X two days later. The post included a graphic with the message in Spanish: "Desde Palestina… gracias, Lamine Yamal" ("From Palestine… thank you, Lamine Yamal").
The gesture drew praise from Arab and Muslim fans while drawing criticism in pro-Israeli circles, with debate on social media over the role of political expression in sports celebrations.
Yamal, who was born in the Catalan town of Mataro to a Moroccan father and an Equatorial Guinean mother, has previously spoken publicly against racism.
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In March, after being targeted with Islamophobic chants during a Spain-Egypt friendly match, he wrote on Instagram: "Using a religion as an insult in a stadium makes people ignorant and racist. Football is for enjoyment, not for disrespecting people for who they are or what they believe."
Since joining Barcelona's first team in April 2023, Yamal has won three La Liga titles—a feat no player in the club's history has achieved at his age.
During the title parade, he also expressed confidence that a Champions League celebration would follow: "A Champions League parade? It will definitely happen."
FC Barcelona had not issued a public statement in response to Katz's remarks at the time of publication.
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