On Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the nation’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, revealing the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
As expected, this shift in Washington’s policy prompted simultaneous counter demonstrations across majority the globe, with most of it focused specifically in the occupied Palestinian territories and other Muslim nations.
And football, as it always has, provided a platform for certain clubs, players and fans to make their intentions clear.
While majority of the solidarity was shown from those involved with the game across the Middle East, there were signs of support by fans from as far as Chile.
Celtic fans who are known for their vocal support of Palestine had a strong statement for the POTUS during their Scottish Premiership game against Hibernian. Last year, the club was fined by UEFA as a result of fans’ displaying a Palestinian flag during a match against an Israeli side.
Turkey being a strong supporter of the besieged nation, had its governing body – Turkey Football Federation request all clubs across all divisions to show their support for Jerusalem on the weekend.
We pray for the day that East Jerusalem — currently occupied by Israel — will eventually serve as the capital of Palestine.
