Hebrew media: Egyptian hatred of us has reached the level of 'madness' and 'mental illness' - Sarmad
An Israeli sports website launched a sharp attack on Egyptians, recalling the Egyptian national team and its coach Hossam Hassan from the previous World Cup, and describing Egyptians’ feelings toward Tel Aviv as “pathological hatred.”
The Israeli sports site “Sport 1” stated that it is not easy to be Israeli these days amid a general sense of ostracism, but added that neighbors to the south, despite the peace treaty, harbor “pathological hatred” toward Israel that extends beyond politics into sports, considering this animosity to have become an “obsession” that leads Egyptians to view Jews as the cause of all their problems. The Hebrew-language website, in a report by author Meir Zecharia, noted that this hatred has reached the level of “madness” and “mental illness,” sarcastically remarking that “an Egyptian farmer on the banks of the Nile who eats ful (fava beans) three times a day” should not hold any animosity toward Israel.
It asked: “If the issue is the Palestinians, why doesn’t Egypt host them on its vast territory instead of exploiting their suffering?” It pointed out that the peak of this “contradiction” was evident after Egypt’s defeat to Argentina and its failure to secure a win that was within reach, noting that coach Hossam Hassan was preoccupied with confronting an Argentine fan who waved the Israeli flag, rather than holding himself accountable for the team’s performance. It concluded by saying: “You lost the match, but you insisted on making us the cause, as if we are even guilty of your sporting failures.”
These remarks come in the context of Israel’s media war against any Arab sympathy for the Palestinian cause, as Tel Aviv attempts to portray popular and sporting support for Palestinians as “anti-Semitism” or “extremism,” in an effort to discredit defenders of Palestinian rights at international forums. Despite international sports charters prohibiting political and religious discrimination, waving the Palestinian flag has become an “offense” to Israelis at every venue.
