The China Mail - Ireland beat Israel but no handshakes due to war in Gaza

Ireland's players came out for the match in Hungary wearing black armbands and bowed their heads as the Israeli national anthem was played.

The teams skipped the traditional pre-match handshakes and did not exchange pennants either in a near-empty stadium in Debrecen.

Troy Parrott made a heart sign with his hands after opening the scoring on 14 minutes, while Jack Moylan kissed the Irish badge on his jersey and his black armband after netting the third goal 25 minutes in.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar accused Ireland of being "on the wrong side of history" over the players' actions.

In a lengthy post on X, Saar referenced the Irish team of 1939 giving the Nazi salute ahead of a match against Germany in Bremen.

He also referred to Irish neutrality during the Second World War and the condolences offered by then-prime minister Eaemon de Valera to the German representative in Dublin following Adolf Hitler's death.

"Almost 90 years have passed. Ireland's unique talent for finding itself on the wrong side of history remains intact," he added.

The game, in which Israel were the nominal hosts, had been in doubt earlier in the week until Ireland's players voted overwhelmingly to fulfil the fixture, despite pressure from back home to boycott the match.

Only one player, goalkeeper Gavin Buzunu, pulled out, saying "it would be wrong to participate" in either this match or the return fixture in Serbia on October 4 due to the "killing of innocent people".

Ireland has long been a strong supporter of the Palestinian cause, with sympathy often linked to the country's own history of British rule.

Dublin formally recognised a Palestinian state in 2024 alongside Spain and Norway, and has repeatedly criticised Israel over the Gaza conflict.

Israel strongly rejects allegations its conduct in Gaza amounts to genocide.

A.Sun--ThChM