Defense Minister Israel Katz condemned FC Barcelona soccer star Lamine Yamal on Thursday after the right midfielder was seen waving a Palestinian flag during the team's victory parade in their home city.
The parade, attended by thousands of fans, took place on Monday after Barcelona won its 29th Spanish league title in a 2-0 win over rivals Real Madrid.
"Lamine Yamal chose to incite against Israel and foment hatred while our soldiers are fighting the terrorist organization Hamas, an organization that massacred, raped, burned, and murdered Jewish children, women, and elderly on October 7," Katz wrote on X.
"Whoever supports this type of message should ask themselves: Does he consider this humanitarian? Is this moral? " he asked. "As the Minister of Defense of the State of Israel, I will not remain silent in the face of incitement against Israel and against the Jewish people."
"I expect a great and respected club like @FCBarcelona to distance itself from these statements and make it unequivocally clear that there is no place for incitement or for support of terrorism," Katz concluded.
Lamine Yamal was a critical part of FC Barcelona's triumphant season
The team's coach, Hansi Flick, said at a press conference on Tuesday, "These are things that I don't normally like. I have talked to him about it and told him that if he wants to do it, it's his decision; he's 18 years old. We are dedicated to playing football, and we have to take into account what people expect from us."
Yamal, at 18 years old, was a major asset to Barcelona's success this season, scoring 16 goals in 28 matches.