DOHA —
Palestinian flags are flying
everywhere in Qatar but Israeli fans are staying low-key as the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict makes its presence felt at the first World Cup on
Arab soil.
اضافة اعلان
Despite moves by some Arab countries, not including
Qatar, to normalize relations with Israel, the Palestinian cause is being
embraced by many Arab fans and some officials.
Terse interactions between
Arab supporters and
Israeli media have gone viral, including footage shot by an AFP journalist of a
Saudi fan berating an Israeli TV reporter that has been viewed more than 5.2 million
times on Twitter.
“There is only Palestine, there is no Israel, ...
you are not welcome here,” the fan shouts at Moav Vardi, a reporter for
Israel’s public broadcaster Kan.
The Arab fans flooding Qatar have been refusing to
speak with Israel media, while some yell “Long Live Palestine” in front of
Israeli television cameras.
“We find it very difficult to work here,” Vardi told
AFP, adding that he understood the Arab anger.
Many Qataris have put the Palestinian flag next to
their own national emblem, hanging from the windows of their luxury cars.
Some Qataris sitting in a stadium VIP section have
worn armbands showing the Palestinian kuffiyeh, while the Palestinian song “Ali
Al-Kuffiyeh” (Raise Your Kuffiyeh) is regularly played in fan zones.
“Some foreigners do not know the Palestinian flag
and ask us about it,” said Yahya Abu Hantash, a 33-year-old
Palestinian living
in Doha.
“This is a golden opportunity to introduce our
cause,” said Hantash, who wore a Qatar football shirt while holding a
Palestinian flag.
Qatar has no relations with Israel and remains a
supporter of the decades-long Palestinian cause for statehood.
Doha supports Hamas and provides vital financial aid
to residents of the coastal enclave blockaded by Israel since 2007.
Qatar criticized moves by other Arab nations —
including the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco — to normalize relations in 2020.
While Palestinian symbols are ubiquitous, an Israeli
fan, who gave his name as Haim, said Qatar was his fourth World Cup but the
first where he has not brought the national flag.
“I feel like I’m watching the World Cup in disguise.
The atmosphere towards us is hostile,” said Haim, who has also taken off the
silver Star of David that normally hangs around his neck.
The Israeli government advised football fans to hide
Jewish “symbols” as part of its “Safe World Cup” campaign.
Direct flights
About 10,000 Israelis are
expected in Qatar for the football tournament, according to diplomat Alon Levy
who was in
Doha to organize consular coverage.
FIFA hailed a deal allowing Palestinians and
Israelis to travel to the Gulf emirate on special charter flights from Tel Aviv
as a platform “to improve relations across the Middle East”.
Qatar insisted that Palestinians be allowed to
travel with Israelis as a condition for allowing the direct flights, which will
stop after the December 18 World Cup final.
Travel officials indicated there were no
Palestinians on the first two direct flights, although some were expected on
the third, flying on Tuesday.
A Palestinian official, who requested anonymity,
said “no one” spoke about the flights agreement with the Palestinian Authority,
which is based in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “We learned the news from
television.”
Israel has occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank
since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War.
Most Palestinians get to Qatar through Jordan or
Egypt, as Israel severely restricts access to Tel Aviv airport, the official
said.
About 250,000 Palestinians live in Qatar which has a
population of around 2.9 million, most of them foreigners.
Together with fans who number in the tens of
thousands, at least, from other Arab countries including World Cup participants
Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Morocco, pro-Palestinian support is strong.
Suhaib Al-Issa, a 16-year-old Jordanian, said flying
the flag was a sign of “peaceful resistance to express our rejection of
normalization with a country that occupies Palestine”.
The Qatar government did not comment on the handling of
Israeli nationals during the World Cup.
Read more Region and World
Jordan News
.jpg)
.jpg)
