More than 12,800km away from Palestine, the colours of the Palestinian flag adorn the walls of Chile's Palestino football club's stadium in Santiago.
In the southern suburb of La Cisterna, the stadium is not just home to a football team – it's a living archive of a century-old connection between Chile and its Palestinian homeland.
The National visited the stadium this month and met the team.
The South American country is home to the largest Palestinian diaspora outside the Middle East, numbering approximately 500,000. The influence of the community is felt across the capital, from pro-Palestinian graffiti and shops selling baklava and shawarma sandwiches to the football club.
Despite the geographical distance, Palestinian identity is very much alive here. "For me, Palestine is everything," Palestino's general manager, Diego Yunis, told The National.
"We try to do everything in our power to raise awareness of the Palestinian cause, which, in essence, is the origin of our club and we cannot forget it."
The club's badge features the Palestinian flag, and its shirts are adorned with Palestinian symbols and the keffiyeh. The corridors are lined with portraits of players whose names – a combination of Spanish and Arabic – echo those of their ancestors and their homeland.
The club has gained increasing international attention over its stance in support of Gaza since Israel's war began on October 7, 2023.
More than 68,000 Palestinians were killed and most of the enclave was destroyed. A US-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came into effect about two weeks ago, but violations have continued.
"The images that we see and reach us are terrible and we're sorry this is happening," Mr Yunis said.
Founded in 1920 by Palestinian immigrants who predominantly arrived from Bethlehem and Beit Jala, Club Deportivo Palestino has grown into one of Chile's top football teams and is a symbol of identity. Every banner and photo carries a story of families who crossed oceans and a diaspora who kept their heritage alive through sport.
That year, tension began after the League of Nations approved the British Mandate of Palestine and began implementing the Balfour Declaration that promised historic Palestine as a homeland for Jewish people. It became the foundation for the creation of Israel in 1948, leading to the Nakba, in which more than 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homes.
The year of their creation is a source of pride for the team. "This shows that Palestinian identity existed before the creation of Israel," said one of the organisers of the stadium tour The National took part in.
Among the first wave of immigrants was Mr Yunis's grandfather, who migrated to Chile from Bethlehem. He first arrived in Argentina by ship and then crossed the tough terrain of the Andes by mule. "That was decades ago but the identity wasn't lost, the taste for all things Palestinian is not lost." Mr Yunis said he was "lucky" to be able to visit his ancestral homeland, describing the trip as the moment that changed his life.
"Being there in Palestine, I said to myself, I have to do something for Palestine and what better way than being where I am today, working at this club?" he said. Today, the team is mainly made up of Chilean players, but there are still some of Palestinian descent.
Rania Sansur is a midfielder with the female team and the Palestinian national team. She became the first Palestino and national team player. "I’ve never been to Palestine but it means a lot, I feel it inside of me. I think also because of the number of Palestinians in Chile, I feel it's like my home," she told The National.
She spoke about the way the situation in Palestine was affecting her. "There are a lot of innocent people suffering, the same reason why my family had to leave. I believe I dream of a free Palestine, a Palestine filled with happiness and love," Ms Sansur said.
In a familiar diaspora tale, her grandparents also left Bethlehem and Beit Jala in 1920, finding a new home in Chile. But she expressed hope of supporting Palestinians through football. The "team is playing for an entire people who are suffering, for many people who need a source of joy. And we can provide them with that through football."
Politics on a sleeve
The team takes pride in being a symbol of Palestinian resistance and identity, with its slogan of "more than a club, an entire people". Its football games have seen fans hold banners and shout chants in support of Palestine. But in a sport where athletes are penalised for political positions, the club has been no stranger to criticism and punishment.
Chile's Football Federation fined the club in 2014 for shaping the number 1 on the back of their jerseys as a map of Palestine and has been subjected to Israeli criticism. But the players' fierce Palestinian support has caused little criticism inside the country that takes pride in its social activism after years under dictatorship.
"From the president of the club, the directors, the officials, the players, we all know what Palestino means and how important it is to wear the Palestino jersey and not just wear the colours of the Palestinian flag but also the map of Palestine and that’s the most important to us," Mr Yunis said.
Testament to the impact of Palestinian-Chileans on the country's social fabric, Chile's President Gabriel Boric has taken a strong stance throughout the Gaza war. In May, he accused Israel of carrying out ethnic cleansing in the enclave and drew parallels between the war and the Holocaust.
The government has also withdrawn its military attaches from Israel but has stopped short of cutting ties. Local media have reported that pressure was mounting behind the scenes, including from the US, over the deterioration of Chilean-Israeli ties.
For Chile's Palestinian community, the team became a gathering point, but over the years has transformed into an established football team, rising through Chile's football leagues and currently ranking sixth in the First Division.
"It's a club that, perhaps, until you're inside, you don't realise its importance and the importance that, regardless of what it can generate within the country, has a huge impact outside its borders," Lucas Bovaglio, Palestino's coach and Argentine football manager, said.
The club is set to entertain fans in the region in December with a friendly match in Doha, organised by Qatar's Generation Amazing Foundation and Years of Culture initiative.
"This is a very special game in the Middle East representing the Palestinian cause and with the Palestino jersey, which is the jersey, as I say, of all the Palestinians in the world," Mr Yunis said.
