"This is just awful" - Martina Navratilova slams Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over arrest of Palestinian artist Eid Suleiman al-Hathalin

American tennis legend Martina Navratilova has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian artist during their ground offensive in Gaza.

Navratilova learned about the arrest of Eid Suleiman al-Hathalin from author Ben Ehrenreich, who had written about Al-Hathalin in his 2016 book 'The Way to the Spring: Life and Death in Palestine.'

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Ehrenreich stated that Al-Hathalin was arrested after a raid on the village of Umm Al-Kheir by Israeli forces.

Ehrenreich further stated all the Palestinian figures about whom he had written in his book and who had peacefully resisted the Israeli authority, have been arrested since October 2023, when Israeli forces launched a ground offensive in Gaza. The American novelist further stated that none of these people have ties to Hamas, a terrorist group hailing from Gaza.

Martina Navratilova was disheartened to read about Eid Suleiman al-Hathalin's case. She slammed Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu for not differentiating between peaceful civilians and Hamas terrorists while carrying out arrests in Gaza.

"This is just awful. Clearly whether one is a peaceful Palestinian or a Hamas Palestinian makes no difference to Netanyahu," Navratilova wrote on X.

Israel launched military operations in Gaza after Hamas invaded the country and killed thousands of Israelis in mass attacks in October 2023. Israel responded by aerial bombardment and ground operations into Gaza. Nearly 30,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far.

In Gaza, the death toll has touched 28,340, with nearly 68,000 injured. About 1,139 people have been killed in Israel.

Martina Navratilova called Benjamin Netanyahu 'evil' over controversial article

Martina Navratilova

In December 2023, Martina Navratilova compared Benjamin Netanyahu to former US President Donald Trump and North Korea ruler Kim Jong Un. This came after the Israeli PM outlined his three conditions for achieving peace in Gaza in an op-ed article in the Wall Street Journal, 'Our Three Prerequisites for Peace.'

Netanyahu wrote that peace in Gaza can be achieved by the destruction of Hamas, the deradicalization of the entire Palestinian society, and the demilitarization of Gaza.

A reporter also noted that Netanyahu had not mentioned US President Biden for his support during the conflict in Gaza. Martina Navratilova dubbed Netanyahu "evil" and opined that he is in the same league as Trump and Kim Jong Un.

"Netanyahu is evil. Right up there with trump, Kim Jong Un etc…," Navratilova had tweeted.