Israeli football club changes name to include ‘Trump’ ahead of US embassy move

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A football team in Israel on Saturday announced that it was changing its name to include the word “Trump” in honor of the United States President Donald Trump as the much-anticipated opening of the American embassy in Jerusalem nears.

Israeli football club Beitar Jerusalem announced that they would include “Trump” in their name, officially calling themselves “Beitar Trump Jerusalem.”

In a statement posted to their Facebook page, the club said it was making the change after Trump’s historic decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, officially recognizing the city as the capital of Israel in the process.

“The chairmen of the club, the owner Eli Tabib, and the executive manager Eli Ohana have decided to add to the club’s title the name of the American President who made history, and from now on will be called Beitar Trump Jerusalem,” the club statement read.

“For 70 years, Jerusalem has been awaiting international recognition, until President Donald Trump, in a courageous move, recognized Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Israel,” it added.

The US President’s decision to move the American embassy received backlash from many countries who argued it would increase tensions between Israelis and Palestinians who have been locked in decades of war and disagreement, particularly regarding the status of the city.

Last week, US embassy road signs were raised in Jerusalem ahead of the official opening of the building which will take place on May 14, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Israel’s declaration of independence on the same day in 1948.