The Anti-Christ

Waking up to the news Wednesday that Argentina had canceled the match, Israeli leaders denounced Rajoub, saying it was his incitement against Messi and the Argentines that caused them to withdraw. They called Rajoub’s messages “terror threats.”

In her initial response, Regev said that “since they announced they would play against Israel, various terror groups have been sending messages and letters to players on the Argentina national team and their relatives, including clear threats to hurt them and their families. “These included video clips of dead children,” local media reported.

Israel’s Football Association said it would send an official complaint against Rajoub’s actions to FIFA, world soccer’s governing body. “The association views with severity the physical and brutal threats that crossed every red line made by the head of the Palestinian association, Jibril Rajoub,” wrote Ofer Eini, the head of Israel’s Football Association.

In an attempt to get the match back on track, Netanyahu called Argentine President Mauricio Macri on Tuesday night. But the South American leader said he did not have the ability to influence the national team’s decision, at least if the match took place in Jerusalem.

Tensions have been high between Israelis and Palestinians over the past few months, following a decision by President Trump to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv. The move has been fiercely protested by Palestinians and seen as illegal by most of the world.

In addition, Israel has faced sharp international criticism for its lethal response to ongoing protests along its border with the Gaza Strip. Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Palestinian enclave in 2005. But after the militant Islamist movement Hamas, which has been labeled a terrorist organization by Israel and the United States, took control of the strip more than a decade ago, Israel imposed a land and sea blockade on the territory. Egypt also has kept its crossing into Gaza closed for much of the past 10 years.

A growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza has pushed its residents to start protesting. In late March, thousands began weekly protests demanding both a right to return to the land that is now inside Israel and a solution to the crisis facing more than 2 million residents. Israel has said that Hamas has used these protests as cover to breakthrough the border fence and infiltrate into Israel.

On May 14, the day the U.S. Embassy was officially inaugurated in Jerusalem, tensions were further inflamed, and Israeli forces killed more than 60 Palestinian protesters and wounded thousands.

The images of Palestinians killed and injured juxtaposed with Trump’s daughter Ivanka at the central event opening the new embassy drew strong condemnation, and international calls to hold Israel accountable have increased. There is often pressure on celebrities and high-profile individuals not to perform in or visit Israel.

In recent years, several artists have canceled tour dates in Israel, either for political reasons or because of ongoing violence. Last December, New Zealand singer Lorde canceled her scheduled concert dates in Israel, and in 2010, the Pixies decided not to perform after the Israeli military raided a Turkish ship bringing aid for the Gaza Strip, an operation that killed nine people. (The band later played in Israel in 2014.)

Elvis Costello also canceled two shows in Israel in 2010, saying that “sometimes silence in music is better than adding to the static.” In 2014, when Israel was waging a 50-day war with Hamas-governed Gaza, several artists — including Lana Del Rey, Neil Young and the Backstreet Boys — postponed or canceled shows.

The Israeli government, which says that the boycott campaign actively promotes the country’s demise and denies Israel’s basic right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, has ramped up efforts in recent years to fight back against BDS. Last month, the Giro d’Italia international cycling event kicked off in Jerusalem.