Israel-Hamas ceasefire continues to hold amid fragility
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British-Israeli woman Emily Damari, who was released from Hamas captivity in January, has spoken out about being banned from an upcoming soccer match in England involving her favorite team, Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The team’s English opponents, Aston Villa, have announced that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans will not be allowed to attend the upcoming Europa League match in Birmingham, England, on November 6 due to security concerns amid frequent pro-Palestinian protests.
So Damari is currently unable to see.
“I was released from Hamas captivity in January and I am a die-hard fan of Maccabi Tel Aviv. I am completely shocked by this outrageous decision to ban me, my family and my friends from attending an Aston Villa match in the UK. Football is a way of bringing people together regardless of their faith, color or religion and this disgusting decision is disgraced by your opinion and I hope that your opinion come to shame. reconsider,” Damari further wrote X.
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Emily Damari, a British-Israeli former hostage for Hamas, attends her first Tottenham football match since her release during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Crystal Palace FC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London on May 11. (Vince Mignott/MB Media/Getty Images)
People walk towards Israeli military helicopters as Romi Gonen, Doron Steinbrecher and Emily Damari, three female hostages held in Gaza since the October 7, 2023 attacks, return to Israel on January 19, 2025. (Reuters/Amir Cohen)
“I wonder what exactly has become of British society, it’s like putting a big sign on the outside of a stadium saying ‘No Jews Allowed’. What has become of Britain where blatant antisemitism has become the norm? What a sad world we live in.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the police recommendation to exclude the visiting team’s fans from the game on November 6 was “the wrong decision” and that “the role of the police is to ensure that all football fans can enjoy the game without fear of violence or intimidation.”
Starmer spokesman Geraint Ellis said on Friday that “the Prime Minister has been angered by the decision” and that the government is working to overturn it.
Simon Foster, the Birmingham MP responsible for overseeing and holding the local police force to account, also called for an “immediate review”, while local mayor Richard Parker called on authorities to find “a workable solution”, which may involve the government covering some policing costs.
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Maccabi Tel Aviv fans light flares and chant slogans ahead of the UEFA Europa League soccer match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax in Amsterdam, Netherlands, on November 7, 2024. (Mouneb Taim/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Maccabi Tel Aviv FC supporters were reportedly the target of violence in Amsterdam before and during the football team’s match against Ajax last year. More than a dozen people have already been charged in connection with the violence and several have already been sentenced following a series of violent incidents overnight.
Pro-Palestinian protesters have been a regular fixture at Maccabi Tel Aviv matches in 2025.
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s upcoming game against Aston Villa will be the team’s first away game in the Europa League since pro-Palestinian protests took place at the stadium in Thessaloniki, Greece, against PAOK on September 24.
Around 120 fans of the Israeli club traveled to Greece for that match and were held behind a police cordon before entering the venue.
Aston Villa released a statement about the current decision.
“The club is in ongoing dialogue with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the local authorities throughout this ongoing process, with the safety of supporters attending the match and the safety of local residents at the forefront of any decision,” the statement read.
Aston Villa’s ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans is just the latest example of restrictions on Israel’s sports teams and fans in recent months.
Supporters with Israeli flags line up outside the Stade de France stadium ahead of the UEFA Nations League soccer match between France and Israel in Saint-Denis, France, on November 14, 2024. (Michel Stoupak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The Indonesian government denied the Israelis visas to enter the country for the upcoming 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in Jakarta, which begin on Sunday.
The Prime Minister of Israel The Tech cycling team has been banned from an upcoming race in Italy, the Giro dell’Emilia, scheduled for October 4, due to potentially disruptive pro-Palestinian protests.
The UEFA Europa League, Europe’s biggest soccer body, was reportedly heading for a vote to suspend Israel over the war in Gaza in September.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that no action would be taken against the team on 3 October. He later reportedly met privately at FIFA headquarters with the head of the Palestinian Football Association, Jibril Rajoub, and praised his organization “for their resilience at this time,” according to the Associated Press.
Chairman Donald Trump monitored the historic ceasefire between Israel and Hamas last week.
As part of the ceasefire, Hamas released the remaining 20 live hostages in Gaza, while Israel released nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
