Thousands of Israeli fans flock to World Cup in Qatar
Lack of diplomatic relations did not deter Israeli soccer fans from traveling to Qatar and mixing with other fans from Lebanon, Jordan, and even Iran.
Thousands of Israeli soccer fans have traveled in recent days to Qatar for the World Cup.
The Israeli national team had qualified for the Cup only once, in 1970, but that hasn’t stopped Israeli soccer lovers from attending these events. Traditionally, Israelis root for the Argentinian, Brazilian, Dutch or British teams, but the Israeli commentators could not hold back their enthusiasm over the Saudi victory against Argentina and Lionel Messi. Several of them noted that the Saudis made the whole region proud. Designated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Saudi blogger Muhammed Saud, known for his ties with Israelis, congratulating him on his country's win.
On Nov. 20, 180 Israelis made history, boarding the first direct flight from Israel to Qatar. The new route, operated by Cyprus-based TUS airways, was made possible because of a first-of-its-kind agreement between the two countries, mediated by FIFA (the international football association) especially for the World Cup matches.
As part of the agreement, for the first time since 2009, Israel was allowed to open a temporary consulate in Doha during the games to assist the thousands of visiting Israelis.
