頑張れイスラエル！

Flag gesture warms Israelis to Ghana

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1150355536400&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Ghana defender John Pantsil may have enraged many in the Arab world Saturday when he waved Israel's flag to celebrate his team's two goals at the World Cup, but he also likely eased the plight of Ghanaian workers in Israel.

"For Ghanaians living and working in Israel, this gesture has put relations between us on a different level," said Frederick Ofori, the first secretary at Ghana's embassy in Ramat Gan.

Ofori, who decried the treatment of Ghanaian workers by the immigration police, said that since Pantsil's gesture during Ghana's victory over the Czech Republic the country's attitude toward workers from his country had changed dramatically.

"The Israeli public has grown warmer to the Ghanaian situation," Ofori said. "They have warmed up to us in the street, in the market and in the gym."

Ofori put the number of Ghanaians in Israel at less than 100, significantly down from what he said were a few thousand workers four years ago.

Ofori said that, despite an apology issued Monday by the Ghana Football Association, "the Ghanaian community back home was very happy about this gesture," which he described as a show of appreciation by Pantsil to his many Israeli fans. Pantsil plays for Hapoel Tel Aviv.

According to Ofori, Pantsil waved the blue-and-white because "he earns a living here and sees himself as part of Israeli society. Many Ghanaians feel a part of Israeli society, even though officialdom has rejected them and they have been treated badly by the immigration police."

Meanwhile, Jojo Effah-Broni, Ghana's deputy ambassador, said that while his government did not condemn Pantsil's action, it had made it clear that the footballer's gesture did not represent any official government position.

"We are not into the politics of it," he said. "He was just one man expressing his happiness in the frenzy of the match, but this is not the official position of Ghana football or the government." Effah-Broni said his government was indifferent to the issue and that people should leave Pantsil alone and "stop trying to misdirect his focus, and allow him to play."

In contrast, the GFA on Monday, amid a wave of criticism from the Arab world, called Pantsil "naive." GFA spokesman Randy Abbey said Pantsil was "obviously unaware of the implications of what he did" and that the GFA was not in Germany for politics.

"We don't support Israel or Arab nations," said Abbey. "It was unfortunate that the player was ignorant about the political situation."

Effah-Broni did not endorse the GFA apology, saying that democratic societies allow people to express themselves and that Pantsil did nothing wrong.

"Ghana has an embassy in Israel and we have a good relationship," he said. "If people are offended, that's their problem."

（続きあり）

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▲今年はワールドカップ。ガーナのPantsil選手が試合中にイスラエルの旗を振って、議論になっている模様。彼はイスラエル・ファンにゴールをしたら、イスラエルの旗を振ると約束していたらしく、またこれはイスラエル国内のガーナ人にも配慮した結果らしい。ガーナ大使館の一等書記官は「このおかげで、イスラエルのガーナ人の状況は変化した、友好的になった」とコメント。

さて、アラブ諸国はどんな反応をするだろうか？ 　 楽しみだ。また愉快な電波が飛ぶかもしれない