Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun was one of five British-based players named Friday in Israel coach Luis Fernadez's squad for upcoming European Championship qualifiers against Malta and Georgia.
Blackpool defender Dekel Keinan, who made his Premier League debut on Saturday, was also included, along with West Ham United center back Tal Ben Haim, Bolton midfielder Tamir Cohen and recent Celtic signing Biram Kiyal.
Seven Hapoel Tel Aviv players, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time, also made it into the 23-man squad, with strikers Etay Shechter and Ben Sahar both named.
Thursday's match against Malta will be Fernadez's first competitive game since taking over from Dror Kashtan in May.
Israel has not qualified for a major tournament since the 1970 World Cup, but the former Paris Saint-German and Betar Jerusalem coach believes he has a good chance this time.
''I very much want to open up on the right foot and beat Malta,'' Fernandez said. ''The game against Malta won't be as easy as many people think. We have a deep squad and I believe in the players I have picked.''
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Squad:
Goalkeepers: Dudu Aouate (Mallorca), Ohad Levita (RKC Waalwijk), Dudu Goresh (Hapoel Acre)
Defenders: Tal Ben Haim (West Ham), Dekel Keinan (Blackpool), Yoav Ziv (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Danny Bonder (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Dedi Ben Dayan (Hapoel Tel Aviv).
Midfielders: Tamir Cohen (Bolton), Almog Cohen (FC Nuremberg), Biram Kiyal (Celtic), Avihai Yadin (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Eran Zahavi (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Gili Vermouth (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Eyal Golasa (Maccabi Haifa), Lior Rafaelov (Maccabi Haifa), Yossi Benayoun (Chelsea), Maor Melikson (Hapoel Beersheba).
Strikers: Ben Sahar (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Etay Shechter (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Shlomi Arbeitman (Gent), Yuval Avidor (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Eliran Atar (Maccabi Tel Aviv)
