An anti-Israel not broke out at a soccer match between Arab and Jewish teams Saturday night resulting in injuries to six Israeli players and two policemen. Tear gas was used to disperse the rampaging spectators and the sports field at Boqoa el-Gharbiyeh village, north of Hedera, where the game was played, was closed down pending an investigation by the authorities.
The melee was the second in two weeks. The earlier incident occurred at Umm el-Fohem village where fans of the local Arab team attacked the Israeli team to protest a decision by the referee. Shots were fired into the air and tear gas was used to break up the brawl.
Saturday night’s incident was also sparked by a decision by the referee in favor of the Jewish team from Binyamina. But it rapidly turned into an anti-Israel demonstration with tons shouting pro-Palestine Liberation Organization slogans. Police reinforcements had to be called to extricate the referee and Jewish team members.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
