Israel’s bid to stage a high-profile football match against Argentina in the disputed city of Jerusalem inevitably thrust politics and the festering Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the fore.
The Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed Tuesday that the pre-World Cup friendly international had been cancelled, citing threats against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.
The original plan had been to stage the match in the northern coastal city of Haifa, at the state-of-the-art Sami Ofer stadium where Israel usually hosts international games.
But Israeli sports minister Miri Regev, an outspoken hardliner in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government, launched a campaign to move the venue to Jerusalem.
That hit a nerve with Palestinians, already outraged by US President Donald Trump’s transfer of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in May after he recognised the disputed city as capital of Israel.
Guatemala and Paraguay have since followed suit.
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