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Fez – Moroccan international footballer and FC Barcelona winger Abdessamad Ezzalzouli’s Instagram post, in which he spoke out strongly against Israel, has sparked criticism from Israeli news outlets.
On April 18, the Moroccan footballer shared a story on his Instagram account, condemning Israeli forces’ recent attacks on Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque.
The Instagram post shows Israeli police violently beating a Palestinian civilian in the mosque compound, with Ezzalzouli captioning it “F*** Israel.”
Despite being deleted a few hours later, Ezzalzouli has shaken off the public attention, sparking Israelis’ criticism.
Mixed opinions
Ezzalzouli’s post has created contradicting opinions on the two sides of the conflict.
Israeli news outlet Israel Hayom shared the news, stressing that the Moroccan winger’s “offensive words” have clearly shown his “clear stance against Israel.”
While the news outlet appeared to abide by the journalism ethics and remained neutral as much as possible, the commenters were much more aggressive and violent.
Some accused Ezzalzouli of his deep hatred toward Israel, outlining that to “stand against Israel is to stand against democracy.”
The reactions went even further to threatening the FC Barcelona player with “breaking both his legs so he can’t walk anymore.”
Others went on to shed light on the Arabs’ “double standards” regarding the conflict and Israel as a country.
“You are the only one who both wants citizenship and the destruction of Israel,” one of the commenters noted.
Read also: Morocco Summons Israel’s Charge d’Affairs over Al-Aqsa Attacks
On the other end of the story, Ezzalzouli’s support for the Palestinian people was widely celebrated on social media platforms.
Many hailed the 20-year-old Moroccan player’s show of support –even at the expense of his professional career.
Becoming involved in political issues, many argue that Ezzalzouli’s promising career will be strongly affected by his political stances.
Some even went on to state that FC Barcelona’s managing board has pressed Ezzalzouli to delete his Instagram story, pushing him to remove it a few hours after it was first published.
Reacting to the rumors, FC Barcelona denied such allegations while distancing itself from Ezzalzouli’s comments.
“He deleted it of his own free will,” a club official told Spanish Media outlet CCMA.
Since the Israeli forces’ first raid on Al Aqsa Mosque on April 15, Morocco has repeatedly condemned the attacks and called on the international community to step in and find a solution to the continued conflict.
During yesterday’s emergency meeting of Arab ministers in Amman, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita reiterated his country’s condemnation of the attacks against worshippers at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
