Why did Israeli Minister Lamine Yamal of Barcelona criticize?

Israel’s Defense Minister has criticized Barcelona’s teenage star Lamine Yamal for waving a Palestinian flag during La Liga title win celebrations, saying the act «incites hatred».

“Lamine Yamal chose to stir up hatred against Israel while our soldiers fight the terrorist organization Hamas, an organization that on October 7 (2023) slaughtered, raped and burned Jewish children, women and the elderly,” Minister Israel Katz wrote. X on Thursday.

Yamal, 18, waved a large Palestinian flag from an open-top bus on Monday during the Barcelona team’s victory parade through the city. The parade attracted around 750,000 people to celebrate the previous day’s league title, local authorities said.

READ ALSO | Lamine Yamal waves the Palestinian flag during the title parade

Yamal, a Muslim, posted photos of himself holding the flag Instagram account.

The Spanish government and much of the population have been highly critical of Israel’s military operations, which killed tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza in response to Hamas’ surprise attack in 2023.

There has been global backlash against Israel over the humanitarian toll of the war in Gaza, which has spread to sports and culture. Protests have been seen in football, cycling and basketball. Last year’s Spanish Vuelta was repeatedly disrupted by demonstrators angry at the participation of an Israeli-backed cycling team.

Spain is also one of five countries boycotting this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in protest against the inclusion of Israel.

Yamal will star for Spain in the FIFA World Cup to be played in North America next month.

Published on May 14, 2026