One of the main transfer rumours that has surfaced so far this month is the rather underwhelming link with Ivorian winger Jocelin Ta Bi…
03.01.2026 Celtic v theRangers, Scottish Premiership. Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and Brian Wilson. Photo Kenny Ramsay
There are a few reasons why this signing wouldn’t go down well with some Celtic fans and in this first article I’ll start off with the fact that by signing the player from Israeli club Maccabi Netanya, Celtic will be effectively providing funds to a club who, through the companies their chairman/owner is involved with, has been providing technology used to continue Israel’s current illegal war against the Palestinian people.
The person I’m referring to is Ross Kestin
The person I’m referring to is Ross Kestin, who became chairman of Maccabi Netanya after his company, Aliya Capital Partners, purchased the club in 2025. In August of that same year he joined the board of XTEND, an Israeli military drone manufacturer that Aliya had invested in.
XTEND’s website claims it sold thousands of armed first-person-view drones to the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) in 2025 alone. XTEND has developed AI technology for improved drone targeting, which has been tested in military actions in Gaza.
Celtic support unfurl “Freedom for Palestine” banner at Pittodrie on 17 November 2012. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star
The story has came to the attention of many Celtic fans who stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine and they are rightly outraged by the clubs actions. Many Celtic fans follow the BDS movement – Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS), is a nonviolent Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel.
Scotland for Palestine
Scotland for Palestine, strong advocates of the BDS movement, have spoken out recently about Celtic’s interest in Ta Bi and asked how the Celtic fans feel regarding their money being invested in Israel.
Celtic supporters show their support with Palestine flags during the Scottish Premiership match between Hearts and Celtic at Tynecastle on October 22, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
In a statement to The National, Scotland for Palestine said: “What do Celtic fans who have consistently rallied for Palestine think about their hard-earned cash being invested towards an apartheid military occupation committing a genocide?
“The club was born out of famine and injustice and its fans stand firmly with the occupied people of Palestine – this is plain for everyone to see. Celtic Football Club has sufficient resources to seek signings elsewhere.
“Yet, its management at the height of a genocide is choosing to hand over huge amounts of cash to Maccabi Netanya, a club that has links to Israeli tech companies as well as the Israeli illegal occupation forces involved in the genocide of Palestinians.
“What message is Celtic Football Club trying to send to its fans and the rest of the world who are horrified by Israel’s relentless murderous campaign against men, women, and children?”
Green Brigade take the knee for Palestine. Photo The Green Brigade
Strong words indeed from Scotland for Palestine but they are correct in what they are saying. At this moment in time Celtic shouldn’t be doing business with teams in Israel who through their chairman/owner have such close ties with what Amnesty International and many other leading experts have called a genocide against the Palestinian people. The thing is our board is so far detached from the club’s fan base it either doesn’t see this or it simply doesn’t care.
This isn’t the first time the Celtic board has put blinkers on
This isn’t the first time the Celtic board has put blinkers on when it comes to working with companies it shouldn’t be having any business dealings with. Back in 2020 Celtic signed a partnership deal with Chinese company Dahua Technology, who at the time were being questioned for their involvement in human rights abuses against ethnic Uyghurs in China’s Xinjiang region.
The Celtic board didn’t care then. I doubt they will care now.
Celtic fans displaying Palestine flags at Celtic Park. Photo The Green Brigade
Football has nothing to do with politics?
People will say that this is football and has nothing to do with politics. That’s absolutely fine if that’s the way you see life but to many Celtic is much more than a football club. It’s a community. It’s a stance. It’s a club that was born of Irish immigrants to help the poor.
It’s always been known for its charitable work. Surely human injustice is part of this? Do we stand back as the club looks away and sells its soul like so many other big corporations? Or do we make our voice heard that we won’t be part of it?
Celtic fans are lauded world wide for our social and humanitarian stances
As the Scotland for Palestine statement says, our fans are lauded world wide for our social and humanitarian stances. The Green Brigade have been a huge component of this over the years. Many believe that their current indefinite ban is more to do with their voices on issues like Palestine than it is to do with the issues brought up by the board. Many in our support dislike the Green Brigade.
I tell you one thing, the Green Brigade have a hell of a lot more in common with the origins of our football club than the current charlatans running the club have. I will always side with the people who stand up for injustices worldwide over a bunch of corporate non entities.
Celtic fan waves a giant Palestine flag at Celtic Park. Photo The Green Brigade
Many Celtic fans will disagree with me on this, and throw the ‘club for all’ motto at me. This isn’t about that. The player involved in this transfer in fact has nothing to do with it at all, it’s who we would be signing him from.
Would you be happy knowing that the money you put into the club is being sent to Israel, to a club with direct links to technology used to continue the murder of innocent people? I certainly wouldn’t. I love Celtic but I certainly don’t agree with many of the actions taken by those in charge.
In my next article today on The Celtic Star I’m going to look at the player involved from a purely footballing perspective, and explain why I think Celtic would be mad to part with £2.5m for him.
Conall McGinty
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Do we know every investor for every football club is clean of WMD investment?
Eh?
So is it a club for all, or who you vote for.
I will never vote sellout fein again, as an ex
Party member, I say no to Marxism and yes to keeping my home land majority
Irish, I don’t loke .ass illegal migration.
On your eyes am I still worthy to support the club of my family,
So let me guess: you’re a plastic patriot, aligned with agitators like Niall McConnell and Keith O’Brien, trying to rewrite Irish nationalist, republican, and Celtic history while importing far-right ideas from Britain, Europe, and the United States. Wrapped in the tricolour, You should share your business model of fear and division, undermining solidarity with the board you’re well aligned. FREE PALESTINE!!!
Absolute Nonsense. Not interested in anything political. Go and haunt the government if you don’t want to sell arms to Israel and leave the rest of the celtic fans to enjoy our football
Fully agree. Let’s focus on football for the moment.We have enough issues with that for the moment. The National has a cheek running this story. There are plenty of social and moral injustices in Scotland but they are blind to those.We are a club open to all.
I enjoyed and support the substance of the article and I am anti Zionist.
I’m sick fed up with the Palestine crap, we’re a football club, we don’t run governments or countries so why shouldn’t we buy players from Israeli clubs, too many anti – semites in our support, a club open to All and awe that. HH
Bullshit on the fans being anti-semite.
What most of the Celtic fans are, unlike yourself, is anti-genocide and the policies of an extreme right wing country in Israel.
It is legitimate business and perfectly acceptable. The Palestine issue is for the geopoliticians to sort out, it has no place in sport. We lost a great player in Liel Abada because of this Marxist garbage.
Thats bullshit and nothing to do with why he left.
😂😂😂
Would you leave your job if you worked wit a company that banks with Jewish linked company’s.you pay your taxes to the government who fund these wars, where does it stop
Good article, well said, so glad someone is sharing and putting into print my feelings on this matter too.
Couple of points I would make, firstly this isn’t and has never been a war, rifles against tanks, state of the art aircraft, a full navy, and the worlds most advanced armed forces is at best resistance.
Secondly this resistance is to genocide as you allude too, but would those fans who would be against your comments or the Green Brigade themselves, have been happy supporting the Nazis during the Second World War?, because, make no mistake, the IDF have committed atrocities that go way beyond what even German fascists did.
These are crimes against humanity, and anyone supporting them, are going against everything laid down in the Nuremberg trials and written in to international law. This very much includes people doing business with anything to do with this regime. ‘Club for all’ does not include fascists committing genocide.
Once again, well said, you are on the ‘right side of history’.
Palestinians went to Hitler and Himmler for help with the jews., bit Nazish, no? Be careful who you label as being Nazis.
The Celtic fans never hounded Abada. Rangers fans spew that rubbish. Google Abada on fans after Charlotte transfer MLS. He praised the Celtic fans for backing him. He said he felt he had to move as Israelis were abusing his relatives back in Israel for playing for a club waving Palestine flags.
It was the Palestinians who went to Hitler and Himmler for help with the jews…..bit Nazish no? Stop just repeating the old well worn soundbites.
John
You sound another genocide lover.
Am absolute prick.
I would pmsl if you ended up being blitzed by the Israelis
They even took pics of the meeting, reality denier. You really don’t know what you are talking about do you? If your pishing yourself buy a nappy👍🏻
An excellent article, Conall – there are plenty of good footballers for us to sign without lining the pockets of people connected to and profiting from genocide. The Celtic support stand solidly with the Palestinian people and to do business with this club would be totally against the grain
No business with genocide enablers, f#ck those that think it’s ok
What a load of crap. The idiots among the Celtic support who are supporting Palestine are simply supporting Hamas. The terrorist organisation who instigated the war with Israel.
Celtic are at liberty to deal with any club they like as long as it’s for the good of the team. These idiots already drove Abada out of the club weakening the team in the process.
ON Abada, you obviously admire Jo Goebbels, where he said if you repeat the lie for long enough it becomes the truth.
Also the Celtic fans stand against genocide.
Try harder
You are nothing other than antisemitic and ignorant of the facts.
I’m sick fed up with the Palestine crap, we’re a football club, we don’t run governments or countries so why shouldn’t we buy players from Israeli clubs, too many anti – semites in our support, a club open to All and awe that. HH
Totally agree with you
Paying for the genocide of the Palestine people in to high a price, normalizing what these people are doing is disgusting
We should have no dealings with Israel whatsoever
What a load of crap. The idiots among the Celtic support who are supporting Palestine are simply supporting Hamas. The terrorist organisation who instigated the war with Israel.
Celtic are at liberty to deal with any club they like as long as it’s for the good of the team. These idiots already drove Abada out of the club weakening the team in the process.
Activist had us waving flags lost a good player Isralea International cause of wannae bee shey guvari or what every yes f ans were deminstrating against the blockade and people starving but the palastinene fighters were taking all the aid we dont support aid for war
Try it in English next time.
You will learn how to construct a sentence properly once you star going to school.
No reply then Einstein? 🤦🏻♂️
Try wording a sentence when tou het to school you fucking cancer
When you start school
Antifa and communism are dangerous ideologies to implant into Celtic Park.
In the 20th century Lenin and Stalin killed between them an estimated 20-30 million people.
And Chairman Mao in communist China and estimated 45-70 million people.
Paul Pot and Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
And Adolf Hitler and the six million Jews.
The biggest killers in the story of human history have always been communists or atheists.
Now in Glasgow. The Green Brigade and young men instead of being taught about investing their money on the stock market and loving the Lord Jesus Christ as their moral code.
Are angry and have become communist liberal protesters. In the end they’ll waste all their energy on going against God.
The Jews are God’s chosen people and in the book of Isaiah there will be born a King and his name will be Emmanuel – God with us.
Christ Saves. Palestinians will through you off the rooftop in Palestine for your unholy transgender illiberal alliance.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life and God bless the Pope’s 11
Communism = murder.
There is no god you crackpot.
Our Father who art in heaven. With you, we love others better. Without you become a Jew hating commies carping from the sidelines…
Our father who art in heaven. With you, we love others better. Without you. We become Jew hating commies carping from the sidelines.
Jesus I pray, lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.
Amen!
What about the Nigerian genocide of the Christians.
Will we stop signing the Nigerians or Muslim players because of the Christian Genocide in Nigeria? Or is that not fashionable?
Or what about the genocide of the unborn child – fetus Latin for little human being. And the 2 million abortions. Will we stop letting female fans into Parkhead because of the genocide against the unborn?
The Celtic board better check that the Green Brigade and Hamas aren’t digging tunnels under Celtic Park. They might take the board hostage like the murdered Israel’s in the name of the warlord sex slave religion.
Jesus is the way the truth and the life, and the moral code of the left wing liberal Loonatics that loath Scotland are good enough reason to keep the Green Brigade banned.
The answer to the new world order is getting back to mass and loving taking everything to God in prayer.
You’ll be a lot happier guaranteed.
Amen and hail hail
Dear the communist, nihilistic Marxist green brigade. Just stop oil, pronouns me/I. Your Party and the unholy alliance of trans and paedo warlord flags. Soon to be traded in for Venezuela.
Jesus Christ says:
“Blessed be the peacekeepers. As they will be called the Children of God.”
Banning the Jews from Celtic Park. Won’t increase your bank account. And is nothing worthwhile pinning your hopes to.
SQUARE UP.
P.S. Rod Stewart was right about everything!
David
Take care and get well soon.
The bible tells us that first pride cometh before the fall. Pride one of the seven deadly sins. The Woke Brigade will have to swallow their pride. They are not getting back in anytime soon. Might as well go to Mass on Sundays, it’ll do them a world of good. Repent.
Complete student marxist rubbish. We are a football club not some political or idealistic organisation. This is simply anti Israel and its this type of nonsense that has the GB banned from CP. What are all the young impressionable ‘ultras’ doing on match days now. They should be growing up following a great football club like we all did – ups and downs — not blindly following some activist with a megaphone and his back to the game. Are we a club open to all- except someone born within the borders of Israel – or currently working there ? We’ve had Russians, Japanese, Germans etc. Politics was never a factor there despite their human rights records.
Anti Israel is anti genocide.
You sound pro genocide with your Israel backing.
You sound as if you dont know what you are talking about
Sadly that is what you are you fucking arsehole and brain donor
I became a Celtic supporter at the age of 5 when I saw my first game v Third Lanark . Funnily. enough I wasn’t all that bothered about Palestine , Marxism , etc….I’m still not . Many became Celtic supporters st the same age. To say that now I should support something because some eejits say I should is nonsensical. That article belongs in a 1970’s issue of the Socialist Worker.
John
You are an absolute fanny.
The world will be a better place when you pip your clogs
This is, without doubt, the worst article I’ve ever read. Learn history, ‘Conall’, read a book or two and stop supporting a terrorist regime, voted in by 70% to 90% (depending which figures you believe) by the Palestine electorate. A regime involved in mass slaughter of Christians, as well as a stated aim of killing every Jew. A regime who, along with Syria, Lebanon and others, funded by Iran, hail missiles, rockets and mortars, into Israel, EVERY FUCKING DAY.
Israel’s response to the Oct 7th massacre has certainly been robust, but let me tell you, if anything like that happened in the UK, I would be demanding an EQUALLY robust response.
Oh, and as for those Palestine flag waving imbeciles, I doubt half of them could point to Palestine, if you showed them a blank map of the Middle East.
I’ve never heard the slaughter and enforced starvation of tens of thousands of innocent women and children called “robust” before. I am proud to be what you call a “Palestine flag waving imbecile” and you really should look at learning history yourself – I would suggest you start around 1948 and what Zionism (different from ordinary Jewish people) did to the Palestinian people.