Celtic FC Fans: ‘Jerusalem Is Palestine’

Edinburgh, MINA – Despite the fines levied on the Scottish club last year by UEFA for political statements, Celtic FC fans are at it again.

During a match at Edinburgh’s Easter Road stadium, Celtic football clubs’ supporters showed their displeasure with Trump’s announcement recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, by raising a pair of banners before kick-off, Middle East Monitor (MEMO) reported.

Last year, the fans’ display of the Palestinian flag during a UEFA match against an Israeli team got the club fined £82,000. In response, the fans decided to raise an amount equal to the fine, not for the club, but for Palestinian refugees. So with a target of £82,000, the fans raised over £160,000 for Palestine.

Palestinian refugees at a camp in Bethlehem, in response to the solidarity shown by the Celtic fans, decided to raise money to pay the fine imposed on the club.

Tension has risen across the Palestinian territories since US President Donald Trump’s decision to officially recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Most countries consider East Jerusalem, which Israel annexed after capturing it in a 1967 war, to be occupied territory, and say the status of the city should be left to be decided at future Israeli-Palestinian talks.

While the international community has almost unanimously disagreed with Donald Trump’s announcement, reports suggest that the announcement was done with the pre-agreement of Egypt and Saudi Arabia, with the Saudi Arabia going as far as, allegedly, stating to the Palestinian President to accept a village on the outskirts of Jerusalem as the alternative Palestinian capital.(R/R04/RS5)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)