Pedro Sanchez has leapt to the defence of Barcelona wonderkid Lamine Yamal after Israel accused the teenager of ‘inciting hatred’ by waving a Palestinian flag.

The row erupted after Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz condemned the 18-year-old Spain international this week over images showing him waving a Palestinian flag during the club’s championship celebrations.

Katz claimed the gesture amounted to ‘incitement against Israel’ and accused the player of ‘encouraging hatred’ while Israeli soldiers were ‘fighting Hamas’.

But Sanchez hit back forcefully on Thursday, insisting the Barcelona star had simply shown solidarity with Palestinians.

‘Those who believe waving the flag of a state is inciting hatred have either lost their judgement or been blinded by their own ignominy,’ the Spanish Prime Minister wrote on social media.

‘Lamine has only expressed the solidarity for Palestine that millions of Spaniards feel. Another reason to be proud of him.’

The intervention marks one of the strongest responses yet from a European leader following the controversy surrounding the teenager’s actions during the celebrations.

The footage of Yamal holding the Palestinian flag quickly went viral online after being shared widely on social media, including by the player himself to his more than 42 million Instagram followers.

Israel’s criticism had also intensified pressure on FC Barcelona to publicly distance itself from the gesture, with Katz calling on the club to make clear there was ‘no place for incitement or support for terrorism’.

Neither Barcelona nor Yamal have issued any further official response since the backlash erupted.