Messi in Israel
צילום: עודד קרני
Messi and Argentinian team land in Israel for friendly soccer match despite BDS outcry
Argentine superstar touches ground in Holy Land ahead of fixture against Barcelona FC teammate Luis Suarez and his Uruguayan National Team
Lionel Messi and the Argentine National Soccer Team arrived in Israel Sunday evening ahead of a friendly match against Uruguay, nearly 18 months after his side cancelled a match against Israel in Jerusalem due to pressures from pro-Palestinian organizations.
A live webcast showed the team disembarking from their flight at Ben Gurion airport, near Tel Aviv, and boarding a team bus on the tarmac, without speaking to cameramen.
Messi arrives in Israel (צילום: לירן ביטון)
Messi in Israel (צילום: עודד קרני)
Fans welcoming the Argentine National Team at Ben Gurion Airport (צילום: נדב צנציפר)
The two South American giants will face off on Monday evening in a match expected to pit Messi against his Barcelona strike partner Luis Suarez. Uruguay arrived in Israel on Saturday.
The match follows the cancellation of a pre-World Cup friendly fixture between Argentina and Israel in June 2018 after boycott calls.
Messi alognside his Barcelona FC strike partner Luis Suarez (צילום: AP)
That planned match was due to be played in Jerusalem, sparking Palestinian anger and criticism of Argentina online.
Israel considers Jerusalem its "indivisible" capital, while Palestinians claim the eastern part of the city - taken by Israel from Jordan in 1967 and later annexed - as the capital of their future state.
The Palestinian Football Association has not complained about Monday's friendly game, which is being held in Tel Aviv.
The BDS movement, which calls for a boycott of Israel over its policies towards Palestinians, condemned the fixture.
