Weaam Amasha

Amasha was born in and later lived in Bukata, a Druze village in the Golan Heights.[1] A 2011 profile placed his age at 26, indicating a birth year of around 1985.[2] By that year, he was married, and he and his wife were expecting their first daughter.[2] Bukata and the surrounding Golan Heights were captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 war; Israel subsequently annexed the territory in 1981.[3] Following annexation, Golan Druze became entitled to Israeli citizenship, but most — including Amasha — had not taken up the offer, citing historic ties to Syria.[3] As a result, Amasha was not an Israeli citizen and did not hold a passport, instead traveling abroad with Maccabi Haifa on an Israeli-issued travel document that was not a full passport.[3]

His younger brothers Ta'ir and Asaad also pursued football careers. By 2017, both were among the leading scorers for Bnei Mamb'e, described as the first Druze club from the Golan Heights to compete in the Israeli league.[1]

Amasha came through the youth setup at Kiryat Shmona. In 2006, aged approximately 21, he drove from Bukata to Tel Aviv hoping to sign with Hapoel Tel Aviv, arriving at the club's training complex before receiving a call from Itzik Sheratzky telling him the deal was off and that he should return north.[2] A subsequent injury kept him out for a year. He then moved to Ahli Nazareth, where he helped the club win promotion, before returning to Kiryat Shmona — the club where he had started — and again contributing to a promotion campaign, scoring 12 goals along the way.[2]

He remained with Kiryat Shmona for the following top-flight season. A 2011 profile reported that he scored 12 goals despite missing almost a full round of matches through injury.[2] After that season, he joined Maccabi Haifa. In a contemporaneous profile, he said the move fulfilled his ambition to reach a big club and compete for titles, while describing Kiryat Shmona as a home and saying he expected to return and finish his career there.[2] He announced his arrival in emphatic fashion, scoring four goals against Maccabi Netanya in the opening round of the 2011/12 season on his debut in Haifa's colors.[4] That performance placed him among a select group of Maccabi Haifa players to score a hat-trick or more on the first matchday of the millennium.[4] By the time a 2011 report was published, he was Maccabi Haifa's leading scorer in the Israeli league with 12 goals in 13 matches, and had added six goals in European club competition.[3]

At Haifa, Amasha attracted interest from European clubs, including Werder Bremen, though a hernia injury diminished that interest.[5] He underwent a third operation for the same hernia, this time in Germany, after two previous procedures at the same site had not resolved the problem.[5] Despite the injury troubles, he told Maccabi Haifa president Yaakov Shahar that he would not pursue a move to Europe during the winter break, preferring to remain at the club and compete for titles.[5]

In 2013, Amasha received his first call-up to Israel's senior national team squad, joining preparations for a World Cup qualifying match against Portugal and taking part in a training session; he was also expected to feature in a friendly against Israel's under-21 side.[6] The call-up required a special arrangement: FIFA had agreed to allow him to represent Israel without holding a passport, following a request related to his particular citizenship status.[3] "I have been waiting for this news for a long time and like any player, I want to improve and play at the highest level. Now I must wait to be called up," Amasha said after the decision was reported.[3]

He later represented Ironi Kiryat Shmona, appearing in the 2014 State Cup final against Maccabi Netanya. Kiryat Shmona won 1–0 after extra time; in the 106th minute, Amasha had a close-range shot saved by Netanya goalkeeper Ohad Levita, with teammate Ahmed Abed sending the rebound wide before Kiryat Shmona held on for the club's first State Cup title.[7]

After playing for Bnei Sakhnin,[1] Amasha eventually joined Hapoel Tel Aviv, the club he had tried to join in 2006.[2][8] He was released by Hapoel in December 2016. "I always wanted to join this club but didn't expect the trip to be so short," he said, thanking the club and its supporters.[8]

Among Amasha's most notable milestones were his four-goal Maccabi Haifa debut in 2011 and FIFA's special-case decision allowing him to represent Israel without a passport.[4][3] His career also continued well beyond the top flight. After an unsuccessful business venture, he returned in late 2018 to Liga Bet with M.S. Daburiyya alongside his younger brother Asaad; the brothers had scored 15 goals between them before a cup match against Maccabi Netanya.[9] He later played for M.S. Tira in Liga Alef North, where he was described as one of the division's prominent forwards. Amasha said he took pride in lower-division football and hoped to win promotion with the club.[10]

Amasha's career intersected with the contested political status of the Golan Heights. A 2011 report described the territory as having been captured by Israel from Syria in 1967 and annexed in 1981, while noting that the annexation was not internationally recognized.[3] That context shaped Amasha's citizenship and national-team eligibility: like most Golan Druze at the time, he had not taken Israeli citizenship, and FIFA therefore made a special-case decision allowing him to represent Israel without a passport.[3]