Minister: Death threats caused Argentina to cancel soccer match in Jerusalem

“It’s not Jerusalem or Haifa. It’s not BDS. These are real threats,” Minister of Sports and Culture Miri Regev declared.

Culture Minister Miri Regev accused the Palestinians of using the threat of terror to push Argentina to cancel the its planned exhibition game in Israel, comparing the sequence of events to the 1972 massacre of Israelis at the Munich Olympics.

“This is the same terrorism that led to the murder of 11 athletes in Munich,” Regev said at a press conference Wednesday evening. “This is not BDS, but a terrorist incident that intimidates the athletes themselves.”

Regev’s statements jibed with conclusions reached by the Israeli Embassy in Argentina, which announced that the match was canceled due to “threats and provocations” against Messi. Argentine media concurred, reporting on a series of threats made against Messi and his spouse.

She also slammed opposition members who blamed her for the cancellation. They claimed that she politicized the event by moving the location from Haifa to Jerusalem.

“The game was canceled for one reason only — threats to the life of the star Messi,” Regev told reporters.

“It’s not Jerusalem or Haifa. It’s not BDS. These are real threats,” she declared.

“The terror threats against him and his family overwhelmed the world soccer star,” she said, adding that this information came from the producers of the event.

The Argentine daily Clarín reported that official sources quoted by Argentine president Mauricio Macri had learned that “the players don’t want to play in Israel because of threats against Messi.” Macri reportedly apologized to Netanyahu and clarified that the players’ motives were not political, said the Clarín.