ANKARA, Turkey— Israeli soccer player Sagiv Jehezkel left Turkey on Monday, hours after he was briefly detained for allegedly inciting hatred after he expressed solidarity with people held hostage by the Hamas militant organization during a top-flight league game.
The Antalyaspor player was released from custody following questioning by police and court officials, a Turkish official said. It was not immediately clear if he was released pending a trial or if the accusations against him were dropped. Court officials in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
The player left Turkey of his own will and there was no decision to deport him, the official said on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.
Jehezkel had been detained for questioning late Sunday after he displayed a bandage on his wrist with the words “100 Days 7.10” — in reference to Oct. 7, the day Hamas attacked Israel and the hostages were abducted — next to a Star of David.
The 28-year-old Israel international told police he was simply calling for an end to the war.
Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Sunday that Jehezkel was under investigation for “openly inciting the public to hatred and hostility.” Tunc tweeted that Jehezkel had engaged in “an ugly gesture in support of the Israeli massacre in Gaza.”
The gesture was deemed to be provocative in Turkey where there is widespread public opposition to Israel’s military actions in Gaza and overwhelming support for the Palestinians.
During his questioning by police, the player denied accusations that he engaged in a provocative act, the private DHA news agency reported.
“I am not pro-war,” DHA quoted him as telling police. “I want this 100-day process to come to an end. I want the war to end.”
Jehezkel continued: “I have never engaged in anything related to politics since my arrival. I have never disrespected anyone since the day I arrived. The point I wanted to draw attention to was (the need) for an end of the war.”
The Turkish Football Federation condemned what it said was a gesture that “disturbed the conscience” of the Turkish public.
