As with any major football rivalry, gloating and banter between the two sets of fans is commonplace.

In recent years these political differences have almost completely disappeared due to Maccabi becoming a giant in Israeli football by winning fifteen titles since 1984 compared with Hapoel's sole title, which it won in 1999.

This can be further evidenced by Hapoel's opening fixture at Sammy Ofer Stadium attracting 3,500 fans while Maccabi's inaugural fixture was a full capacity 30,000.

However, Maccabi Haifa withdrew from the next season[1] and didn't return to the top division until gaining promotion from Liga Bet in 1947.

The teams met once more at the beginning of the following season, which was abandoned due the outbreak of the Israeli war for independence.