Ataa Jaber

Ataa Jaber (Arabic: عطاء جابر, Hebrew: עטאא ג'אבר; born 3 October 1994) is a professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Qatar Stars League club Qatar SC. Born in Israel, he plays for the Palestine national team.

Ataa Jaber

Jaber playing for Maccabi Haifa in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Ataa Jaber
Date of birth	(1994-10-03) 3 October 1994 (age 30)
Place of birth	Majd al-Krum, Israel
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)[1]
Position(s)	Defensive midfielder
Team information
Current team	Qatar SC
Number	6
Youth career
2005–2014	Maccabi Haifa
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2012–2017	Maccabi Haifa	44	(1)
2015	→ Bnei Sakhnin (loan)	10	(1)
2017–2021	Bnei Sakhnin	100	(6)
2021–2022	F.C. Ashdod	30	(2)
2022–2024	Neftchi Baku	45	(8)
2024–	Qatar SC	4	(0)
International career‡
2015–2017	Israel U21	8	(2)
2023–	Palestine	7	(0)
* Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 10 January 2025 ‡ National team caps and goals as of 20 January 2024

Early life

Jaber was born in Majd al-Krum, Israel, to a Muslim-Arab family.^[2]

Club career

Ataa Jaber got his professional start with Maccabi Haifa making his senior team debut at 17 years old in the 2011–12 season. Unable to reserve a place in the first team, Ataa Jaber signed for Bnei Sakhnin during the 2016–17 season.^[3]

He moved to F.C. Ashdod in 2021 on a one-year deal.^[4]

In 2022, Jaber made his first move to a foreign league signing with Azerbaijan Premier League club Neftchi Baku.

International career

Jaber had represented and captained the Israel national U21 team. However in 2023, he filed for a nationality switch to represent Palestine internationally.^[5] He debuted in a friendly 0–0 tie with Indonesia on 14 June.^[6][7]

After the October 7 attacks, Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel called for Jaber's Israeli citizenship to be revoked.^[8]

Career Statistics

Club

As of 28 May 2024^[9]

Club	Season	League			National Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Maccabi Haifa	2011-12	Israeli Premier League	1	0	—		—		—		1	0
	2012-13		8	0	—		—		—		8	0
	2014-15		13	0	1	0	7	0	—		21	0
	2015-16		19	1	4	0	6	1	—		29	2
	2016-17		3	0	—		1	0	0	0	4	0
	Total		44	1	5	0	14	1	0	0	63	2
Bnei Sakhnin (loan)	2014-15	Israeli Premier League	10	1	—		—		—		10	1
Bnei Sakhnin	2016-17	Israeli Premier League	6	0	—		—		—		6	0
	2017-18		23	2	1	0	2	0	—		26	2
	2018-19		18	1	1	1	4	0	—		23	2
	2019-20	Liga Leumit	23	1	—		—		—		23	1
	2020-21	Israeli Premier League	30	2	1	0	4	1	—		35	3
	Total		100	6	3	1	10	1	—		113	8
F.C. Ashdod	2021-22	Israeli Premier League	30	2	0	0	—		—		30	2
Neftchi Baku	2022-23	Azerbaijan Premier League	28	5	5	0	—		4[a]	1	37	6
	2023-24		17	3	0	0	—		4[a]	0	21	3
	Total		45	8	5	0	—		8	1	58	9
Career Total			229	18	13	1	24	2	8	1	274	22

1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Europa Conference League

Honours

Club

Maccabi Haifa

• Israel State Cup (1): 2015–16

Netchi Baku

• Azerbaijan Cup (1): Runner-Up 2022-23 Azerbaijan Cup