Munas Dabbur, an Arab-Israeli player for the Israel national soccer team, announces he is leaving the team.
“I would like to inform you of my decision that my part of the Israeli national team has come to an end,” he wrote on Instagram. “I want to thank my family and everyone who has supported me.”
Dabbur became the center of controversy last year after writing a Facebook post amid the May 2021 war with Gaza. Dabbur posted a photo of the Dome of the Rock near the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, along with a quote from the Quran: “Don’t think that Allah ignores what evil doers do. He only grants them respite until the day their eyes stare in horror.
Dabbur later said his message “expressed pain and had nothing to do with politics”. He was banned from national team activities for several months after the job, but returned in August, although he was booed by some fans when he entered the pitch.