Eduardo González
One of the most surprising consequences of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina was related to the Middle East conflict, since, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahum had expressly supported Israel, the Palestinian government congratulated Spain on its victory.
Argentine President Javier Milei has not only repeatedly shown his support for Israel, a country he has visited on several occasions since taking office in 2023, but he even announced during one of those visits (specifically, in June 2025) his intention to move the Argentine Embassy to Jerusalem.
The president has even confessed that he is interested in converting to Judaism after leaving office (not before, as he believes that observing the Jewish Sabbath could be incompatible with his presidential duties).
Argentina is home to the largest Jewish community in Latin America, with approximately 170,000 people, but it also has a significant Arab community comprised of up to three million Argentinians who claim Lebanese ancestry. Argentine public opinion differs from that of its government, as polls show 55 percent are against Israel and only 21 percent support the country.
In early July, Benjamin Netanyahu announced on a podcast: “I hope Argentina does well in the World Cup.” “Milei is a great friend of Israel,” he added. Furthermore, the day before the final, Netanyahu received the Argentine ambassador to Israel, Rabbi Shimon Axel Wahnish, to whom he wished the team success in their match against Spain, as the prime minister posted on social media.
During the same meeting, Wahnish played the prime minister an audio message from Javier Milei: “You are my friend (…). I was happy to hear that you are supporting Argentina for me.” Netanyahu responded: “Javier, you are a friend. A true friend. You are a great friend, we support you, we support Argentina in so many ways, including tomorrow. Good luck!”
Meanwhile, Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir celebrated Argentina’s semifinal victory on Wednesday (“Honor to whom honor is due, and now with faith toward the final!”) and Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar met with his Argentine counterpart, Pablo Quirno, in Washington on Wednesday, where they toasted “Argentina’s impressive victory in the World Cup semifinal.”
Palestine
In the Palestinian camp, the strong criticism from Pedro Sánchez’s government of the Israeli campaign against Gaza and the Israeli-American offensive against Iran has made Spain a global symbol for many supporters of the Palestinian cause, especially after the Spanish government’s decision to recognize the State of Palestine.
As expected, this has also extended to football. After Spain’s victory over France in the World Cup semi-finals, the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations posted a message with the slogan “Long Live Spain,” accompanied by a photograph of footballer Lamine Yamal waving a Palestinian flag during FC Barcelona’s La Liga title celebrations in mid-May.
Furthermore, after Spain’s victory in the final, the official account of the State of Palestine on Twitter congratulated the Spanish national team, sharing a photograph of the players with the trophy, accompanied by the flags of Spain and Palestine alongside two hearts. Significantly, the message was posted in response to Netanyahu’s tweet about the Argentine ambassador.
For its part, the British newspaper ‘The Guardian’ published a video on its Instagram account on Sunday showing a group of Palestinians gathered in Gaza to watch the World Cup final and “celebrating Spain’s victory over Argentina.” “Many of those present supported Spain in recognition of the country’s support for the Palestinian people,” it added.
Last May, Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz accused the footballer of “inciting hatred” by waving a Palestinian flag. In response, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that “those who consider waving the flag of a state to be ‘inciting hatred’ have either lost their minds or been blinded by their own ignominy.” “Lamine has only expressed the solidarity with Palestine that millions of Spaniards feel. Yet another reason to be proud of him,” he posted on social media. “Lamine has only expressed the solidarity with Palestine that millions of Spaniards feel. Yet another reason to be proud of him.”
Lamine Yamal’s gesture was celebrated in the Gaza Strip, where two young Palestinians painted a mural on the rubble of a building destroyed by Israeli operations, depicting the footballer with the Palestinian flag. The Palestinian Football Association, for its part, simply posted a message on social media: “From Palestine… Thank you, Lamine Yamal.”
