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Thursday, March 28, 2024

FIFA Offers Combined Flights for Israeli and Palestinian Football Fans for World Cup 2022

On Thursday, FIFA said that shared planes had been set up to let Israeli and Palestinian World Cup spectators enter Qatar.

The only regular direct flights between the two countries are the temporary charter flights that connect Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv with Hamad International Airport in Doha, Qatar. Representatives from FIFA, the operational division of the 2022 World Cup delivery team, Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Culture and Sport attended the talks that arranged the flights. The discussion was held in conformity with Qatar’s commitment to FIFA’s hosting standards, according to the FIFA news statement.

Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, said in a statement that the organization was “delighted” that a deal had been made to allow Israeli and Palestinian supporters to go to Qatar to watch matches at the FIFA World Cup. Israelis and Palestinians will be able to fly together and watch football together thanks to this agreement. Since winning the right to organize the FIFA World Cup in 2022, we have consistently stated that all ticket holders will be able to attend games in Qatar, a member of the Qatar 2022 organizing committee said in the statement. The announcement made today demonstrates our dedication to upholding FIFA’s rules and hosting criteria, including everyone’s right to match attendance.

As they have an equal right to enjoy the competition, which is made all the more special by being the first World Cup to be hosted in the Arab and Muslim world, this requirement also includes the need for Palestinian ticket holders and media to be able to travel on these chartered flights without any restrictions.

Although Qatar and Israel do not have diplomatic ties, an interim office will be built up for the competition to accommodate Israeli visitors. Alon Ushpiz, director general of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, declared that today’s announcement would permit Israeli people to visit Qatar and watch World Cup games without restriction. All guarantees, including Israelis’ access to consular services when visiting Qatar, have been successfully obtained.

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A Qatari source told CNN that the country’s position on normalization “has not altered” despite direct flights for the World Cup and the UAE and Bahrain signing landmark normalization deals with Israel in 2020. Qatar’s position is still firmly rooted in the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant Security Council resolutions that call for a two-state solution to the Palestinian problem.

We haven’t recently observed any encouraging peace process advances that would warrant a change in our stance, the official said. According to a source briefed on the situation but not authorized to speak publicly, the Qataris had allegedly insisted that Palestinians would be permitted to fly from Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv and informed Israel that any escalation that results in violence in Jerusalem, Gaza, or the West Bank during the World Cup will risk the cancellation of the agreement including the direct flights.

According to the source, Qatar’s request that Palestinians be let to fly out of Ben Gurion caused the talks to freeze “for a while.” According to the source, 3,800 Israelis and over 8,000 Palestinians have bought tickets for the event. Following hard work over many months, we have arranged for Israeli citizens to be able to fly to the World Cup in Qatar on direct flights, as well as the opening of an Israeli office in Qatar to provide services to fans coming for the World Cup, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid greeted the news with enthusiasm.

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