Qatar has agreed to allow special direct flights from Israel open to both Israeli and Palestinian fans for the World Cup, FIFA announced on Thursday.
But the deal offered few details on how decades of animosity would be overcome to allow Palestinians and Israelis to travel on the same chartered jets to the first World Cup in an Arab nation.
“Today’s historic announcement provides a platform to improve relations in the Middle East,” said Gianni Infantino, President of World Football’s Association FIFA.
“With this agreement, Israelis and Palestinians can fly together and enjoy football together.”
A FIFA statement said the flights would be subject to “Israel’s security requirements and operational capabilities,” and comments from Israel and Qatar, which have no diplomatic ties, highlighted their disagreements.
Israel’s outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid hailed the deal without mentioning Palestinian access to the tournament, which begins on November 20.
A Qatari government official told AFP: “Qatar has informed the Israelis that any escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza or the West Bank during this time will risk the cancellation of the deal, including direct flights.”
Diplomatic sources said more than 10,000 Palestinian and Israeli fans have secured tickets for the 29-day tournament.
As part of its World Cup hosting deal, Qatar cannot refuse fans from any nation.
Diplomatic sources said it took months of “tough negotiations” for FIFA to broker the deal, which will allow direct flights from Israel’s main Ben Gurion airport for the event.
– Restricted Access –
Israel severely restricts access to Ben Gurion for residents of the Palestinian territories. West Bank Palestinians normally transit through Jordan, and it is virtually impossible for Gazans to enter Ben Gurion.
The FIFA statement said flights would be “operated by an airline with existing landing rights in Qatar for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, subject to Israel’s security requirements and operational capabilities”.
All fans on the flights must have a match ticket and Qatar’s special fan pass, the Hayya card, she added, promising more details “in due course”.
The conditions outlined by FIFA would exclude an Israeli airline for the flights. Sources close to the talks said Royal Jordanian Airlines and European operator TUI were being considered.
Consular services for Israelis are handled by “a designated privately operated international travel company based in Doha,” according to FIFA.
“Palestinians will have access to consular services at the Palestinian Embassy in Doha.”
Lapid welcomed the deal without mentioning the Palestinian fans.
“After many months of hard work, we have arranged for Israeli citizens to fly to Qatar with direct flights to the World Cup and opened an Israeli office in Qatar to offer services to fans,” he said.
Qatar’s Gulf neighbors the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2020. Saudi Arabia – which does not recognize Israel – opened its airspace to Israeli planes in July.
Qatar was the first Gulf state to establish trade relations with Israel in 1996. But in 2000, Israel’s trade office in Qatar was shut down by authorities, and ties between the two countries were finally severed in 2009 over an Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Doha supports Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls the Gaza Strip and has fought four wars with Israel since 2008. Israel, which maintains a blockade of Gaza, pledges with Doha to issue permits for the distribution of Qatari aid in the Palestinian coastal enclave. However, details of such contacts are rarely publicly confirmed.
The killing earlier this year of a Palestinian-American journalist for Qatar-based broadcaster Al Jazeera has strained ties.
The Israeli army acknowledged that one of its troops probably fired at Shireen Abu Akleh, but said the soldier mistook her for a militant.
Qatar insisted its stance on Israel was unchanged.
“This is part of Qatar’s commitment to hosting FIFA and should not be politicized,” the Qatar government official said of the agreement.
“We have always said that anyone with a World Cup ticket can enter Qatar. Because of this agreement, the Palestinians can now enjoy the first World Cup in the Arab and Muslim world.”
“Our stance on normalization has not changed. Qatar’s position remains firmly committed to the resolution of the Palestinian issue, including a two-state solution in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative,” the official told AFP.
