Salah tells leaders to end violence, fails to mention Palestine

Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah has called on world leaders to “do everything in their power” to end the killing of innocent people, in what appeared to be a reference to rising tension in Palestine where at least 36 people, including children, have been killed by Israeli attacks.

Salah’s appeal came as the Israeli military continued its bombardment of the besieged Gaza Strip on Tuesday, targeting several areas after rockets were fired from the enclave.

Hamas’s armed wing, the al-Qassam Brigades, targeted Tel Aviv with 130 rockets after Israeli air strikes caused the collapse of a residential building in Gaza City.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Salah specifically called on Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson “to make sure the violence and killing of innocent people stops immediately”.

I’m calling on all the world leaders including on the Prime Minister of the country that has been my home for the past 4 years to do everything in their power to make sure the violence and killing of innocent people stops immediately. Enough is enough. @BorisJohnson

— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) May 11, 2021

“I’m calling on all the world leaders including on the Prime Minister of the country that has been my home for the past 4 years to do everything in their power to make sure the violence and killing of innocent people stops immediately,” Salah said on Twitter.

“Enough is enough.”

No mention of Palestine

On social media, the 28-year-old Egyptian football star was criticised for not mentioning Palestine in his message, and for being late to raise the issue despite other players speaking out.

Mo Salah, say it with me, Pal-es-tine https://t.co/vWO46gdMbW

— Khaled Beydoun (@KhaledBeydoun) May 12, 2021

Salah decided to tweet amid public pressure but chose to be very cautious. Very generic statement. Using the term “violence” can go both ways depending on the narrative. Notice he didn’t mention Palestine or Palestinians, but posted a pic in front of the Aqsa on a separate tweet. https://t.co/deRbifqn4B

— طلال (@talal_alkhanfar) May 12, 2021

Salah has more than 14.3 million followers on Twitter and his tweet was shared thousands of times within minutes.

He published the tweet shortly after posting a picture of himself at the Dome of the Rock in the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said the number of victims from Israeli strikes on Gaza reached 43, including 13 children. Another 250 people were also injured. At least five people in Israel have also been killed by rocket fire from Gaza.