Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to attend the Israeli State Cup soccer final next week, causing backlash from residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz, as he has still not visited the village, heavily affected by the October 7 Massacre.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has begun to coordinate his attendance, Walla learned from informed sources. N12 also reported that “the PMO is coordinating security with the Football Association ahead of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s arrival at the State Cup final in Bloomfield next Thursday.”
“Netanyahu will attend the game as a Beitar Jerusalem fan and is not expected to participate in the ceremony, which, as is tradition, will be in the presence of the president of the state. The Prime Minister’s Office asked not to comment on the matter,” N12 added.
The State Cup Final, this year played between Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Beersheba, will take place at Bloomfield Stadium. It is usually attended by the Israeli President, with the Prime Minister not in attendance.
Netanyahu has repeatedly identified publicly as a fan of Beitar Jerusalem, a club historically and politically associated with the Netanyahu-led Likud Party, and Israel’s right-wing in general.
When Beitar last reached the cup final in 2023, Netanyahu did not attend as it was on the same night as the Knesset’s budget approval vote, but he hosted the team together with other Likud ministers in the PMO the day after the final, which Beitar won.
During that previous cup final, there were serious violent incidents, including fans from Beitar’s ultras group “La Familia” storming the field. Due to the events, the trophy-lifting ceremony was canceled, and security escorted President Isaac Herzog out of the stadium.
Netanyahu did not comment on violence in 2023
During Netanyahu’s statements in 2023, he did not comment on the violence, only congratulating Beitar fans on their victory.
The PMO did not provide Walla with a response to their questions on Netanyahu’s plans for this year’s final.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
