CELTIC star Nir Biton has sparked fury by supporting Israel’s ongoing military offensive against Palestine. The 22-year-old midfielder posted pro-Israeli propaganda on his Instagram account. A copy of the Hebrew Prayer for members of the Israel Defence Force, which contains the line: “May Hashem (God) cause the enemies who rise up against us to be struck down before them.” appeared on Thursday evening. It was quickly taken down, but not before copies had been made and circulated on various websites, including Twitter. At least 240 Palestinians, including scores of children, have been killed by Israeli air strikes since July 8. They launched the offensive to stamp out rocket attacks from Gaza and the army has recently vowed to continue with ground and air assaults. The attacks are aimed at crushing terror group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip. But the area is so densely populated that many innocent civilians have been caught up in the violence. An estimated 23 Palestinians were killed this morning in an Israeli assault on Gaza. And the world was united in grief earlier in the week when pictures emerged of four youngsters who were killed on Wednesday by a shell fired from an Israeli gun ship as they played football on a Gaza beach. Outraged Celtic fans, some of whom claim sympathies with the Palestinian cause, reacted with anger following Biton’s post, with some of them calling for him to be sacked. In a 2009 Europa League match against Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv, Celtic fans of them waved Palestinian flags in protest at the invasion of Gaza the previous year. Pro-Palestine football fans in Europe frequently attend matches brandishing the Palestinian flag in shows of support. Celtic fan Ros Stafford tweeted: “Nir Biton should never be allowed pull on a Celtic shirt again. Good Riddance Nir, your support of child killers is not wanted at CP.” And Gordie Bhoy added: “Nir Biton Showing His True Colours, That MUST Be The End Of His CELTIC Career.” Kieran Caw posted: “I don’t think Nir Biton will be the most popular player amongst our support.” Steve.E.N tweeted: “Nir Biton should never wear the hoops again! Get him out!” Then Paulo tweeted: “I know Nir Biton is from Israel, but if he’s supporting them in all this I want him nowhere near my club.” Biton’s post could cause storms within the Parkhead dressing room - before a ball is even kicked in the new season. Celtic midfielder Beram Kayal was born in Israel, but is of Arab descent, though he has not voiced any political views. However Irish striker Anthony Stokes has recently sent messages of support for the people of Gaza. He tweeted: “Praying for the people and young children killed in gaza, pictures are disturbing! World watches on again.” and also retweeded a photo with the message: “Stop the bombing of Gaza.” A spokeswoman for Celtic refused to comment. Within minutes of our call, a picture of Biton and Efe Ambrose checking in at Glasgow Airport for their pre-season tour of Germany appeared on the club’s official Twitter account. Other users criticised the move. Grant Coll tweeted: “hahaha maybe not the best pic to do under circumstances.” and Craig Johnston posted: “come one.... not the best photo to put up today.” Biton signed a four-year deal with Celtic in August 2013 after arriving from Israeli Premier League club FC Ashdod for a fee believed to be around £700,000. He made his debut on September 18 of that year, in a Champions League group stage match against AC Milan, coming in to the game as a late substitute in the 89th minute. He made a total of 20 appearances last year under former boss Neil Lennon, and has also been capped for Israel seven times.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 17:37:12 +0000
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