On Saturday evening, Dec. 11, Israeli forces suppressed the celebrations of Palestinians in East Jerusalem over Morocco’s victory in the World Cup. Crowds of young Palestinians gathered at the Nablus gate to celebrate Morocco’s victory in the quarterfinals of the World Cup against Spain and their advancement to the semifinals. Israeli police, however, had other ideas and prevented any celebration and waving of Moroccan and Palestinian flags, attacking the joyful crowd tear gas and violently beating many of them.
In the videos distributed online, people are seen celebrating as Israeli forces attack them on horses, causing minor injuries to some. Israeli police prevented any celebration of Morocco’s victories Jerusalem, despite the fact many people celebrated throughout the country.
Fans of Hapoel Umm al-Fahm celebrated their team’s goals in the cup match against Maccabi Tel Aviv by waving Moroccan flags. However, the team was unable to complete the celebration, and in the end lost to their rivals 3-2.
Nonetheless, the Moroccan national team’s achievement of becoming the first African and Arab team to reach the semi-final stage of the World Cup will never be forgotten.
