Bernabeu dream for boy orphaned by terror

REAL Madrid stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale waded into the political realm while making an orphaned youngster’s dream come true. Five-year-old Ahmed Dawabsheh flew to the Bernabeu to meet his heroes after his parents were murdered by Jewish terrorists and campaigners sought to draw attention to his plight. 

After seeing photos of the boy wearing a Real Madrid top while in recovery from the firebombing attack on his home in Palestine, the Galacticos invited him to the stadium to meet the players and watch the team train. 

Palestinian Football Association head Jibril Rajoub said Real Madrid were “restoring hope for a child who lost his entire family.”

Football and politics often go hand in hand and there is little doubt that this is a huge media coup for the Palestinian authorities in their battle against occupation by the Israelis. 

Ronaldo and his Argentine nemesis Lionel Messi have both offered symbolic gestures in support of the Palestinian cause, while publicity campaigns on either side of the debate have frequently sought celebrity endorsement. 

In July 2015 a vicious attack by Jewish settlers on Ahmed Dawabsheh’s family home saw the youngster take eight months to recover from his burns, his parents and baby brother killed, and a wave of international condemnation directed at Israel’s support of settler terrorism. 

The atrocity took place in Duma, a small Palestinian town on the West Bank, which has suffered from frequent attacks by Jewish terrorists. Settlers from Israel routinely set fire to homes and destroy olive trees and crops in order to create an environment of fear and drive out Palestinian families.