More than 12,800km away from Palestine, the colours of the Palestinian flag adorn the walls of Chile's Palestino football club's stadium in Santiago.
In the southern suburb of La Cisterna, the stadium is not just home to a football team – it's a living archive of a century-old connection between Chile and its Palestinian homeland.
The National visited the stadium this month and met the team.
The South American country is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East, numbering approximately 500,000. The influence of the community is felt across the capital, from pro-Palestinian graffiti and shops selling baklava and shawarma sandwiches to the football club.
Despite the geographical distance, Palestinian identity is very much alive here. "For me, Palestine is everything," Palestino's general manager, Diego Yunis, told The National.
"We try to do everything in our power to raise awareness of the Palestinian cause, which, in essence, is the origin of our club and we cannot forget it."
The club's badge features the Palestinian flag, and its shirts are adorned with Palestinian symbols and the keffiyeh. The corridors are lined with portraits of players whose names – a combination of Spanish and Arabic – echo those of their ancestors and their homeland.
The club has gained increasing international attention over its stance in support of Gaza since Israel's war began on October 7, 2023.
More than 68,000 Palestinians were killed and most of the enclave was destroyed. A US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect about two weeks ago, but violations have continued.
"The images that we see and reach us are terrible and we're sorry this is happening," Mr Yunis said.
Founded in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants who predominantly arrived from Bethlehem and Beit Jala, Club Deportivo Palestino has grown into one of Chile's top football teams and is a symbol of identity. Every banner and photo carries a story of families who crossed oceans and a diaspora who kept their heritage alive through sport.
That year, tension began after the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine and began implementing the Balfour Declaration that promised historic Palestine as a homeland for Jewish people. It became the foundation for the creation of Israel in 1948, leading to the Nakba, in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.
The year of their creation is a source of pride for the team. "This shows that Palestinian identity existed before the creation of Israel," said one of the organisers of the stadium tour The National took part in.
Among the first wave of immigrants was Mr Yunis's grandfather, who migrated to Chile from Bethlehem. He first arrived in Argentina by ship and then crossed the tough terrain of the Andes by mule. "That was decades ago but the identity wasn't lost, the taste for all things Palestinian is not lost." Mr Yunis said he was "lucky" to be able to visit his ancestral homeland, describing the trip as the moment that changed his life.
"Being there in Palestine, I said to myself, I have to do something for Palestine and what better way than being where I am today, working at this club?" he said. Today, the team is mainly made up of Chilean players, but there are still some of Palestinian descent.
Rania Sansur is a midfielder with the female team and the Palestinian national team. She became the first Palestino and national team player. "I’ve never been to Palestine but it means a lot, I feel it inside of me. I think also because of the number of Palestinians in Chile, I feel it's like my home," she told The National.
She spoke about the way the situation in Palestine was affecting her. "There are a lot of innocent people suffering, the same reason why my family had to leave. I believe I dream of a free Palestine, a Palestine filled with happiness and love," Ms Sansur said.
In a familiar diaspora tale, her grandparents also left Bethlehem and Beit Jala in 1920, finding a new home in Chile. But she expressed hope of supporting Palestinians through football. The "team is playing for an entire people who are suffering, for many people who need a source of joy. And we can provide them with that through football."
Politics on a sleeve
The team takes pride in being a symbol of Palestinian resistance and identity, with its slogan of "more than a club, an entire people". Its football games have seen fans hold banners and shout chants in support of Palestine. But in a sport where athletes are penalised for political positions, the club has been no stranger to criticism and punishment.
Chile's Football Federation fined the club in 2014 for shaping the number 1 on the back of their jerseys as a map of Palestine and has been subjected to Israeli criticism. But the players' fierce Palestinian support has caused little criticism inside the country that takes pride in its social activism after years under dictatorship.
"From the president of the club, the directors, the officials, the players, we all know what Palestino means and how important it is to wear the Palestino jersey and not just wear the colours of the Palestinian flag but also the map of Palestine and that’s the most important to us," Mr Yunis said.
Testament to the impact of Palestinian-Chileans on the country's social fabric, Chile's President Gabriel Boric has taken a strong stance throughout the Gaza war. In May, he accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the enclave and drew parallels between the war and the Holocaust.
The government has also withdrawn its military attaches from Israel but has stopped short of cutting ties. Local media have reported that pressure was mounting behind the scenes, including from the US, over the deterioration of Chilean-Israeli ties.
For Chile's Palestinian community, the team became a gathering point, but over the years has transformed into an established football team, rising through Chile's football leagues and currently ranking sixth in the First Division.
"It's a club that, perhaps, until you're inside, you don't realise its importance and the importance that, regardless of what it can generate within the country, has a huge impact outside its borders," Lucas Bovaglio, Palestino's coach and Argentine football manager, said.
The club is set to entertain fans in the region in December with a friendly match in Doha, organised by Qatar's Generation Amazing Foundation and Years of Culture initiative.
"This is a very special game in the Middle East representing the Palestinian cause and with the Palestino jersey, which is the jersey, as I say, of all the Palestinians in the world," Mr Yunis said.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
The biog
Favourite book: You Are the Placebo – Making your mind matter, by Dr Joe Dispenza
Hobby: Running and watching Welsh rugby
Travel destination: Cyprus in the summer
Life goals: To be an aspirational and passionate University educator, enjoy life, be healthy and be the best dad possible.
The five pillars of Islam
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Apple product price list
iPad Pro
11" - $799 (64GB)
12.9" - $999 (64GB)
MacBook Air
$1,199
Mac Mini
$799
The design
The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.
More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.
The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.
The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.
A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.
Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.
Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.
Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.
From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.
Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019.
Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.
Concrete and Gold
Foo Fighters
RCA records
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Jetour T1 specs
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Stage 5 results
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates 3:48:53
2 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team -
3 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott -
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:00:04
5 Ilnur Zakarin (RUS) CCC Team 0:00:07
General Classification:
1 Adam Yates (GBR) Mitchelton-Scott 20:35:04
2 Tadej Pogacar (SlO) UAE Team Emirates 0:01:01
3 Alexey Lutsenko (KAZ) Astana Pro Team 0:01:33
4 David Gaudu (FRA) Groupama-FDJ 0:01:48
5 Rafał Majka (POL) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:02:11
KEY DEVELOPMENTS IN MARITIME DISPUTE
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Tesalam Aleik
Abdullah Al Ruwaished
(Rotana)
FINAL RESULT
Sharjah Wanderers 20 Dubai Tigers 25 (After extra-time)
Wanderers
Tries: Gormley, Penalty
cons: Flaherty
Pens: Flaherty 2
Tigers
Tries: O’Donnell, Gibbons, Kelly
Cons: Caldwell 2
Pens: Caldwell, Cross
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
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Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
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The specs: 2018 Bentley Bentayga V8
Price, base: Dh853,226
Engine: 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 550hp @ 6,000pm
Torque: 770Nm @ 1,960rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.4L / 100km
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
The essentials
What: Emirates Airline Festival of Literature
When: Friday until March 9
Where: All main sessions are held in the InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Price: Sessions range from free entry to Dh125 tickets, with the exception of special events.
Hot Tip: If waiting for your book to be signed looks like it will be timeconsuming, ask the festival’s bookstore if they have pre-signed copies of the book you’re looking for. They should have a bunch from some of the festival’s biggest guest authors.
Information: www.emirateslitfest.com
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
