By Palestine Chronicle Staff

Moroccan fans have been seen stopping a person from raising an Israel flag during their national team’s game against Portugal at Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, a host venue at the World Cup.

A video clip by Al Mayadeen TV showed Moroccans forcing a person with an Israeli flag away from their benches by the end of the game.

الجمهور المغربي يرفض رفع العلم الإسرائيلي
–#المغرب#اسرائيل#كأس_العالم_2018 #مونديال_روسيا #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/7b0xN3vOua

— قناة الميادين (@AlMayadeenNews) June 20, 2018

Israel exploits sports events to promote the idea of normalization with Arab nations. Arab sports teams and players in many occasions boycotted matches against Israeli counterparts with the view that sports could be a form of normalizing with an occupation state.

Twitter activists welcomed the Morocco’s fans’ response. Hassan, from Yemen, said:

“A thousand salutes to the Moroccan people who tore the Israeli flag into pieces,”

Asma, from Morocco, tweeted:

“They [Moroccan fans] have not forgotten the enemy of humanity despite the bitter feelings of losing the game [to Portugal]: Moroccans take the Israeli flag out from Zionists sitting among Morocco’s fans.”

#المغرب_البرتغال مرارة الإقصاء لم تنسيهم عدو الإنسانيه
(مغاربة ينتزعون العلم الإسرائيلي من مشجعين صهاينه يقفون في المنصة الخاصة بجماهير المغرب)
⁦??⁩⁦??⁩ pic.twitter.com/6snD1mIr6c

— ميلاأسماء الأمين⁦?? ⁩world Cup (@asmamania99) June 20, 2018

Younis tweeted:

“The brave Moroccan fans thwart an attempt to raise an Israel flag at the stadium”

المشجعين المغاربة الابطال يفشلون محاولة رفع العلم الإسرائيلي في المدرجات #المغرب_البرتغال
✌✌✌✌

— العقيد يونس الكتباني (@ToToPoStOoOo) June 20, 2018

There are no official diplomatic relations between Morocco and Israel. Upon Morocco’s independence, the Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) persuaded thousands of Moroccan Jews to leave their homes and move to Israel.

(PC, Social Media)