Sagiv Yehezkel, an Israeli soccer player for Turkey’s Antalyaspor, scored a goal Sunday night that he dedicated to the Israeli hostages in Gaza. The dedication led to the Turkish Minister of Justice announcing his prosecution. Turkey’s government opened an investigation against the player, resulting in the player’s detention and questioning in Antalya. According to reports from Turkey on Monday morning, he had been released by the Turkish court and was set to be deported from the country.
Jehezkel adliyeye getirildihttps://t.co/e45NoFtVYn #Antalyaspor #Jehezkel pic.twitter.com/BW22IJJUc6
— Akdeniz Manşet Gazetesi (@akdenizmanset) January 15, 2024
Yehezkel dedicated the goal he scored to the Israeli hostages, who have been held captive by Hamas in Gaza for 101 days. In response, Turkish Justice Minister Yılmaz Tunç announced that the Chief Prosecutor’s Office of Antalya opened a legal investigation against Yehezkel for “public incitement of the public to hatred and hostility” – and “his support for the massacre carried out by Israel in Gaza,” according to Turkish reports.
Sagiv Jehezkel denilen Siyonist köpek, Gazze soykırımının yüzüncü gününde Türkiye’de Antalyaspor forması altında İsrail’in propagandasını yaptı. Bakın bu futbola ve spora siyaset karıştırmak değil, yeşil sahaya apaçık soykırım kanı bulaştırmaktır. O gol sevinci, Gazze’de… pic.twitter.com/YPZWpKwa55
— Ersin Çelik (@ersinceliq) January 14, 2024
The player was released from his Antalyaspor contract and the team following the incident, he announced.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reacted sharply to Yehezkel’s detention and said on Monday, “When the earth shook in Turkey less than a year ago, Israel was the first country to stand up and extend aid that saved the lives of many Turkish citizens. The scandalous arrest of the footballer Sagiv Yehezkel is an expression of hypocrisy. Turkey is the executive branch of Hamas.”
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir reacted strongly against the arrest of the Israeli soccer player Sagiv Yehezkel in Turkey, tweeting on his X account that “Erdoğan is a Nazi for everything” on Monday morning.
Ben Gvir added that “Turkey acts against Israeli actors and anything that smacks of Israeliness in Nazism. I urge Israelis not to fly to Turkey, not to buy any Turkish products, and not to support them. It is forbidden for the State of Israel and the citizens of Israel to show leniency towards Turkey. We cannot be trampled on.”
“All in all, I decided to make a humanitarian gesture to the Israeli hostages in Gaza. It was important for me to point out that they have been in captivity for 100 days. I had no intention of making a provocation or expressing a position in this regard, I know the sensitivity in Turkey,” Israeli media reported on Sunday.
Feedback from Israeli and Turkish politicians
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett tweeted and attacked the Turkish authorities, stating, “This is Turkey 2024. Shame on you, Turkish government.”
Welcome to Turkey’s Midnight Express. This is unbelievable. An Israeli football player, Sagiv Yehezkel, scored a goal for Antalyaspor, a Turkish team. He made a gesture “100” for the Israelis who have been held hostage by Hamas for the past 100 days. All hell broke loose:… pic.twitter.com/vjSfMGdWsG
— Naftali Bennett נפתלי בנט (@naftalibennett) January 14, 2024
Over the weekend, the chairman of the legal committee of the Turkish parliament held a press conference on the steps of the court hall in The Hague, where Israel is defending itself against charges of genocide brought by South Africa, and harshly attacked Israel. He claimed that he was certain that the “heaviest punishments” would be imposed on Israel.
However, just a short time later, he was expelled from the location by the local court officials, claiming that he could not make any statement there.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in preparation for the hearings in The Hague, also handed over materials accusing Israel of genocide.
Israel’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz, attacked him in response, writing: “The president of Turkey, the country that committed the Armenian genocide and thought that the world would shut up, is ‘proud’ today that he handed over to The Hague tribunal materials that accuse Israel of genocide. we heard you We have not forgotten the Armenian holocaust and the massacres of the Kurds. You are the destroyers of the people. We are protecting ourselves from your barbarian friends.”
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