Hapoel Beit She’an soccer club has reportedly released Ganem Mahajna, a recently signed goalkeeper, after fans expressed outrage over his appearance in a Palestinian national team match in 2017.
Mahajna, 33, was signed by the club last week but has been released before playing any matches, according to Hebrew media reports, after a wave of social media outrage over his previous appearances in the Palestinian soccer league and his single appearance in a match for the Palestinian national team.
Hapoel Beit She’an’s club director initially came out in support of Mahajna, saying the club “believes in true coexistence” and that the outraged fans “do not even attend the games.”
However, the Kan broadcaster and Sport 5 reported today that Mahajna is no longer a member of the team.
The club has not commented on the release of the goalkeeper, Kan adds.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this