JERICHO: Rami Hamadeh, Bnei Sakhnin’s goalkeeper, will stand in Palestine's goal in their World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia.
For the first time, an active Israeli Premier League player will play for Palestine national team in an official match.
History maker. Hamadeh, during the 2019 Asian Cup with Palestine (Photo: Fadi Marek)
Hamadeh, an Israeli citizen who played in Palestinian football since he was 16 and starred for all the Palestinian national teams, signed for Israeli club Bnei Sakhnin after ten years in the West Bank.
In 2020, Reabal Dahamshe played for the Palestine B team while he played for the youth of Hapoel Nof Ha-Galil, while Rami himself played for the U16 team when he played for Maccabi Netanya as a youth player. Now, the Shafa’amaru-born keeper will make history and become the first senior professional to play in an Israeli club and the Fida’i at the same time.
His first season in Israel isn’t an easy one. Hamadeh struggles to get playing time. In Sakhnin’s recent cup game, he kept a clean sheet and helped the team reach the quarterfinals.
Hamadeh will now join the Palestine national team camp in Jericho and will fly with his teammates to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this week, ahead of the World Cup qualifier between Saudi Arabia and Palestine on March 30th.
This is an unprecedented moment in the relationship between Israeli football and Palestinian football in professional modern times. It may now open the door for more call-ups for Arab-Israelis to join the Palestinian national team and a fascinating influx of talent from Israeli football to its Palestinian counterpart.
“It’s a dream come true”, Hamadeh told BabaGol. “The club took it very well. It’s a very important moment for me and I am so excited to reunite with friends in the national team”.
