INTERNATIONAL CONFLICTS
Aouate hits back at “son of a b****” Benzema in five languages
The goalkeeper, who played in the Spanish league for ten years, has publicly attacked the forward for sharing his views on the Israel-Gaza conflict.
The ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine continues to trigger a cascade of reactions on social media. Seven days after the Hamas attack on Israeli territory, Karim Benzema, the striker for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia, expressed his solidarity with a clear message on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Benzema prayers for Gaza victims
“All our prayers for the inhabitants of Gaza who are once again victims of these unjust bombings that spare neither women nor children,” the Frenchman wrote, sending his blessings to the territory bombarded by President Netanyahu’s troops.
Benzema’s words did not sit well with Dudu Aouate, for one, a former Israeli goalkeeper who spent a significant portion of his career in Spain, playing for Mallorca, Deportivo de la Coruña, and Racing Santander. His response was concise and blunt, as he referred to Benzema as a “son of a b****” in five different languages: Arabic, French, English, Hebrew and Spanish.
The message from the current Ballon d’Or holder is not a rare exception in Saudi football. In fact, his words have been well-received nationally due to the religious connection they have with the people of Gaza. One of the first clarifications made by the French forward upon his arrival in the Arab country was directly related to the significance of religiousness in the region, as it is the “epicenter of Islam and the location of Mecca, the most sacred place in this religion.”
Records and religion in Spain for Aouate
Aouate’s position is radically different. The goalkeeper, who was part of the Israeli teams Hapoel Haifa and Maccabi Haifa, played in Spain from 2003 to 2014. His decision to hang up his boots came after playing 303 matches in the domestic league, conceding 408 goals, and becoming the Israeli player with the most appearances in Spain and the goalkeeper with the most matches played in the shirt of the Mallorca club.
During his time as a goalkeeper at Mallorca, Aouate occasionally missed matches due to the celebration of Yom Kippur, as was the case in the game against Osasuna in the 2010-11 season. The club handled the matter with the utmost respect, issuing a statement that read: “RCD Mallorca respects the special circumstances that will prevent Dudú Aouate from playing in this round.” Currently, he resides in Tel Aviv, a city where air raid sirens are heard daily, and he collaborates with various national sports media.
Sport stars in times of war
Other players in the Saudi league, such as Saud Abdulhamid via Snapchat or Abdelhamid Sabiri on Instagram, have expressed their support for Palestine in recent days. Benzema’s case is curious because he tends to use his social media for more professional means and rarely posts anything unrelated to football. Other prominent figures, like Riyad Mahrez, do use their profiles as platforms for a cause. Just a few days ago, the former Manchester City player posted a photo with the Palestinian flag, accompanied by the message: “We want peace.”
However, athletes cannot always express their thoughts so freely.
Outside of football, Egyptian swimmer Abdelrahman Elaraby, recently crowned champion in the 50-meter butterfly final of the World Cup, claimed to have received “death threats” for supporting the Palestinian cause. He said, “Honestly, I don’t know if I can celebrate this. It’s been a very tough week mentally for me. I’ve received death threats. People have been attacking me all week for supporting Palestine.”
One thing is clear: neither the field of play nor the most distant swimming pool can escape the echoes of war.