Spanish PM 'proud' of Yamal for waving Palestinian flag

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday said Barcelona star Lamine Yamal had made Spain "proud" for waving a Palestinian flag at a victory parade that sparked Israeli accusations of "inciting hatred".

The 18-year-old forward drew attention for brandishing a Palestinian flag during an open-top bus parade through Barcelona on Monday as the Catalan giants celebrated their second straight La Liga title.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz lashed out at the Spain star on Thursday, saying he chose to "incite hatred" against his country.

"I hope a great and respected club like Barcelona distances itself from these remarks and makes it unambiguously clear that there is no place for incitement or support for terrorism," Katz said on X in Spanish.

Sanchez, an outspoken critic of Israel who has called its devastating two-year war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza a "genocide", hit back in defence of Yamal. 

"Those who think that waving the flag of a state is 'inciting hatred', they have either lost their minds or they have been blinded by their own disgrace," he wrote on X.

"Lamine just expressed the solidarity with Palestine that millions of Spaniards feel. Yet another reason to be proud of him," Sanchez added.

Yamal's support for the Palestinian cause - which enjoys widespread popularity in Spain - has not gone unnoticed in Gaza.

Artists at a refugee camp in the mostly destroyed territory have painted a mural on rubble depicting Yamal waving a Palestinian flag, an AFP journalist saw.

Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said he "didn't like" Yamal's actions, but accepted that "if he wants to do it, it's his decision."

Relations between Spain and Israel have plummeted since the start of the Gaza war, sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israel recalled its ambassador after Madrid recognised a Palestinian state in 2024, while Spain formally dismissed its own top envoy in Tel Aviv in March.