February 27 – Police have arrested an Israeli Premier League club announcer after he was dismissed for allegedly making pro-Hamas remarks.
Saeed Hasanein, announcer for Bnei Sakhnin F.C. – among the most successful Arab-Israeli clubs in the country – was detained on suspicion of incitement after referring to the Israeli Defence Force as an “occupying army,” and described Arab Israelis who enlist as “weak-minded individuals.”
Hasanein, a long-time sports journalist, was speaking to the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV in which he further remarked that the way Hamas treated female hostages during captivity in Gaza “proves conclusively who is the barbarian and who is the humane one” in the conflict.
In the interview, obtained and aired by Israel’s Channel 14, Hasanein commented: “He who only thinks about joining the occupation army must think a million times where he is going and how he is selling his conscience, his moral compass and his religion on this immoral path.”
Bnei Sakhnin immediately released an official statement saying Hasanein’s volunteer role as the PA announcer at home games had come to an end and that “it was made clear to him that the things he said do not represent the club.”
Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Miki Zohar had previously called for his sacking.
“This is a slap in the face of the Israeli league. Bnei Sakhnin can’t be associated with such things, otherwise we will not be able to bridge the rifts in Israeli society,” Zohar said.
Israeli Football Leagues Administration chairman Erez Kalfon added in a letter sent to Bnei Sakhnin: “We were shocked by the outrageous, false and unacceptable statements made by Mr. Saeed Hasanein, who holds an official position within Bnei Sakhnin, as presented in his interview with Al-Aqsa TV – the television channel of the despicable terrorist organisation Hamas.
“These statements are, to say the least, unacceptable in Israeli society, and certainly in Israeli soccer.”
Contact the writer of this story, Andrew Warshaw, at moc.l1740660762labto1740660762ofdlr1740660762owedi1740660762sni@w1740660762ahsra1740660762w.wer1740660762dna1740660762