JERUSALEM, Jan 29 (Reuters) – Hundreds of police officers and stewards watched as Beitar Jerusalem crushed Arab club Maccabi Umm el-Fahm 5-0 in their Israeli State Cup tie on Tuesday after receiving a relatively mild punishment for racist behaviour from some of their fans at the weekend.

A racist group among Beitar fans caused uproar in the Jewish state on Saturday when they held up banners during a Premier League match to protest at owner Arkady Gaydamak’s planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Hundreds of police officers and stewards will secure an Israeli State Cup match on Tuesday in which Premier League Beitar Jerusalem, supported by a group of vehement anti-Arab fans, host Arab side Maccabi Umm el-Fahm.

A racist element among Beitar fans caused uproar in the Jewish state on Saturday when they held up banners during a Premier League match to protest at owner Arkady Gaydamak’s planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players.

JERUSALEM, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Hundreds of police officers and stewards will secure an Israeli State Cup match on Tuesday in which Premier League Beitar Jerusalem, supported by a group of vehement anti-Arab fans, host Arab side Maccabi Umm el-Fahm.

A racist element among Beitar fans caused uproar in the Jewish state on Saturday when they held up banners during a Premier League match to protest at owner Arkady Gaydamak’s planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem want to play Tuesday’s State Cup tie against second-division Arab club Maccabi Umm el-Fahm behind closed doors so that they can bar their own racist fans from entering the Teddy Kollek Stadium.

The Israel Football Association (IFA) said it was considering the request after several Beitar fans held up banners during a Premier League match on Saturday to protest owner Arkady Gaydamak’s planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players.

JERUSALEM, Jan 28 (Reuters) – Israel’s Beitar Jerusalem want to play Tuesday’s State Cup tie against second-division Arab club Maccabi Umm el-Fahm behind closed doors so that they can bar their own racist fans from entering the Teddy Kollek Stadium.

The Israel Football Association (IFA) said it was considering the request after several Beitar fans held up banners during a Premier League match on Saturday to protest owner Arkady Gaydamak’s planned recruitment of two Chechen Muslim players.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli soccer club notorious for the anti-Arab chants of its fans plans to recruit two Muslim players, fuelling protests in the stands that a senior cabinet minister condemned as shocking and racist.

At a Premier League game on Saturday, Beitar Jerusalem supporters held a banner reading “Beitar will always remain pure”. Other signs hoisted by fans also protested against its owner’s intention to have two Muslim Chechen players join.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – An Israeli football club notorious for the anti-Arab chants of its fans plans to recruit two Muslim players, fuelling protests in the stands that a senior cabinet minister condemned as shocking and racist.

At a Premier League game on Saturday, Beitar Jerusalem supporters held a banner reading “Beitar will always remain pure”. Other signs hoisted by fans also protested against its owner’s intention to have two Muslim Chechen players join.

JERUSALEM, Jan 16 (Reuters) – In decline since the peace it
sought with the Palestinians unravelled into violence, Israel’s
Labour Party looks set to regain some lost ground in next week’s
election after waging an economy-focused campaign.

Opinion polls forecast an easy victory for conservative
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tuesday’s vote, which may
push Israel further to the right, if as widely expected, he then
enlists pro-settler and religious allies to his coalition.

JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday welcomed the appointment of his personal friend John Kerry as U.S. secretary of state and described him as “a known supporter of Israel’s security”.

President Barack Obama nominated Kerry on Friday, calling the veteran U.S. senator the “perfect choice” as America’s top diplomat.

TEL AVIV (Reuters) – Teams have shrugged off security fears in Israel and are looking forward to next year’s Euro Under-21 football championships due to be held in cities targeted by Palestinian militants last week, coaches said on Wednesday.

Several sporting events in the Jewish state had to be postponed during an eight-day Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip during which Islamist militants launched hundreds of rockets on Israeli towns as far north as the outskirts of Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.