"Support for Terrorism": Arab-Israeli Football Club Announcer Indicted

The State Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment on Wednesday morning at the Haifa District Court against 26-year-old Said Hasanin from Shefa-'Amr, a journalist who also serves as the announcer for the Bnei Sakhnin football club.

Hasanin is accused of contact with a foreign agent and expressing support for a terrorist organization, following interviews in which he praised Hamas, Hezbollah, and the late Hassan Nasrallah.

According to the indictment, Hasanin participated in a televised interview approximately two weeks ago on Al-Aqsa TV, a channel operated by Hamas, which has been designated as a terrorist organization since early 2019.

During the broadcast, the screen was split into four sections: one showing Hasanin and the interviewer, while the other three displayed various video clips, including footage of the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza, their transfer to the Red Cross, and scenes from the October 7 attacks.

"During the interview, Hasanin expressed praise, admiration, and support for Hamas, justifying and glorifying its actions while echoing the organization's narrative and addressing Arab citizens of Israel," the indictment states.

He also commented on Hamas' humiliation ceremony, in which Israeli hostage Omer Shem-Tov was forced by militants to kiss the heads of Hamas members. "First of all, what Omer Shem-Tov did was not accidental. He did it to show the world, to Netanyahu and his supporters, that contrary to what Netanyahu and the Zionist entity believe, they were treated humanely—unlike the treatment Palestinian prisoners receive from the occupation government and police," Hasanin claimed.

Hasanin continued to justify Hamas' handling of the hostages, stating: "The Islamic resistance treated them in a completely humane manner, according to Islamic law. Hamas proved to the entire world that it upholds human dignity, including that of the women captured by the movement on October 7. They were treated in accordance with religious principles and Palestinian moral conscience."

Additionally, following the elimination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel, Hasanin gave an interview to the Palestinian channel "Qudsuna", where he expressed support for Hezbollah and glorified Nasrallah:

"Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah could not have wished for a more honorable death. He wanted to die as a martyr, and he achieved it," Hasanin stated in the interview.

In the request for pretrial detention, the prosecution emphasized that Hasanin’s actions posed a serious and tangible threat to national security:

"The defendant went even further, addressing Arab citizens of Israel with calls not to serve in the IDF and spreading false narratives that could damage Israel’s delicate social fabric. These messages clearly and unequivocally align with and serve the terrorist organizations fighting against the country."

In addition to charges of contact with a foreign agent and expressing solidarity with a terrorist organization, Hasanin is also accused of destroying evidence, as he allegedly disposed of the phone used to communicate with Al-Aqsa TV during the interview.