Palestinian football player Mahmoud Sarsak has been set free yesterday [July 10, 2012]. The Facebook page Team Palestine publishes images [1] from his welcome in Gaza. Arrested on July 22, 2009, when trying to reach his club in the north of the Occupied Territories, Sarsak had been detained since then as an “enemy fighter” but with no charge against him.
[2]Palestinian footballer Sarsak on his way to Gaza. Photo credit: Team Palestine, Facebook
[3]A massive welcome for Sarsak in Gaza. Photo credit: Team Palestine page, Facebook
In March, Sarsak joined the hunger strike of around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israel, and his fasting lasted more than 80 days. His efforts were encouraged by Eric Cantona's open letter [4] to UEFA's president Michel Platini and FIFA's president Joseph Blatter asking Israel [5] to release Palestinian players detained in violation of international human rights conventions.