Israeli soccer fans find cold welcome in Qatar

Thousands of Israeli soccer fans went to Qatar for the World Cup. But with the competition in its second week, their enthusiasm is increasingly replaced with disappointment. Many of the fans as well as the Israeli journalists sent to Doha to cover the games report that they feel unwelcome.

The fervor in the Arab world is undeniable, with four Arab teams qualifying for the games, held for the first time in an Arab country. With the games so close to home, Arab soccer fans feel like it’s more their event than FIFA’s. Israelis who traveled to Qatar had hoped to be part of this Middle East frenzy and joy. Instead, quite a few have reported unpleasant encounters.

With the 2020 Abraham Accords, the recent improvement of relations with Jordan and Egypt, the rehabilitation of ties with Turkey and the last-minute agreement with Qatar for direct flights between Tel Aviv and Doha, many Israeli fans and journalists had looked forward to their first visit to Qatar, with which Israel has no diplomatic ties.

But with big expectations came big disappointment. If any Israelis thought they'd be leaving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with 55 years of occupation and no end in sight, behind them, they were naive. Several incidents made it clear that fans from Arab countries had a hard time accepting Israelis walking around.