Official Palestinian X account mocks Argentina and Israel after World Cup loss

The official X account for the State of Palestine has mocked Israel after Spain defeated Argentina to win the Fifa World Cup on Sunday.

Spain secured a 1-0 victory thanks to an extra-time winner from Ferran Torres, ending Lionel Messi’s final World Cup campaign in defeat.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had made no secret of the fact that he had wanted their ally to take the trophy, saying on Saturday: “We support Argentina in so many ways, including tomorrow. I don’t hide that I’m rooting for Argentina. I think most Israeli citizens are rooting for Argentina. Good luck! Vamos Argentina.”

Far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir also expressed his support for the country to win.

The Palestinian social media account @Palestine_UN reposted a picture of Argentinian ambassador to Israel, Shimon Axel Wahnish, gifting Netanyahu a football and shirt on the day Netanyahu declared support for the team, with a picture of the Spanish winners and the caption “Campeones del Mundo” (champions of the world).

The image has since been viewed nearly nine million times at the time of writing.

Netanyahu and Argentinian president Javier Milei share a close relationship, with the Israel leader calling Milei a “great friend” of the country. After US-Israel attacks in Iran, Milei said that he was “proud to be the most Zionist president in the world”.

During Israel’s 78th independence day celebration in April, Milei said Israel and Argentina shared “unbreakable bonds for life, united by shared moral values”.

Meanwhile, Spain has been one of Israel’s most ardent critics with prime minister Pedro Sanchez openly accusing the country of committing a genocide against the Palestinian people. Israel has repeatedly denied it is committing a genocide.

After Spanish player Lamine Yamal, 19, waved a Palestinian flag at Barcelona’s title parade earlier this year, Israeli defence minister Israel Katz accused him of choosing to “incite hate against Israel”.

Yamal’s actions led to murals of the player being painted among the rubble in the Gaza Strip as Palestinians took to social media to show their support for the teenager.

There has been growing backlash to Israel’s participation sporting tournaments following their military campaign in the Gaza strip, which has killed over 73,000 people and rising as the bombing continues.

In October last year, when Norway faced Israel for a qualifying match, the Norwegian Football Federation announced that all proceeds from the win would be donated to relief aid in Gaza. Palestinian flags were unfurled in the stands and chants of “Free Palestine” rang out.

Israel participated in the World Cup qualifiers but did not advance to the play-offs.

The Palestinian Football Association has been pushing for Israel to be suspended from the tournament in the same manner as Russia was excluded following its invasion of Ukraine. It cited atrocities in Gaza, football clubs operating in illegal West Bank settlements, and discrimination against Arab athletes.

Israel also drew criticism after a Palestinian aid official who organised World Cup screenings in Gaza was killed moments before a highly-anticipated screening of an Egypt versus Argentina match on 8 July this year.

Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor estimates that Israeli strikes have killed at least 894 Palestinian athletes since October 2023.

Other Argentinian players including Diego Maradona have expressed open sympathy with the Palestinian cause with the football legend declaring: “In my heart, I am Palestinian” in 2018.