At least 30,000 fans from Israel are expected to arrive, and almost 20,000 tickets have already been purchased to attend the championship matches. Connections between Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport and Hamad International Airport were announced yesterday. A team of Israeli officials will arrive in Qatar to provide consular assistance. The question of the use of the mobile telephone network remains open.
Tel Aviv () – Qatar awaits the arrival of thousands of Israeli fans for the World Cup matches, which will start in less than 10 days. Although Israel and Qatar do not have official diplomatic relations, thanks to a high-level agreement, direct flights will be possible. Yesterday, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the success of the negotiations initiated in recent weeks with FIFA, the International Football Federation, for the connection between Ben Gurion International Airport and Hamad during the sporting event and entry into the country. with a “special visa”.
An initial agreement reached five months ago provided for the flights to make a stopover in Larnaca and then in Doha. Israeli fans had to first buy a ticket for a match and then apply online for a so-called “fan card”, which guaranteed entry to Qatar and the purchase of flights and hotel accommodation. During the layover it was not necessary to change planes and the crew on board the plane would also remain the same. Other alternatives were flights to Jordan, Turkey or the United Arab Emirates (with which relations have been established after the signing of the Abraham Accords) and then a change of plane, taking a flight to Doha.
Under the new agreement, travel time and costs are greatly reduced and Palestinians will also be able to travel to World Cup matches. In addition, it allows Jerusalem to send a team of officials who will be able to offer consular assistance to Israeli fans during their stay in Doha, with a temporary office on site for the duration of the event. It is true that this is not a change in diplomatic relations, but it is still a first that officials of the Jewish state are free to operate openly in Qatar, a nation with which there have been no official ties for almost two decades.
The issue of cellular communication services still needs to be negotiated, as Israel has requested access to the Qatari network; however, Doha-based companies in the sector have so far refused to cooperate with Israeli partners. An influx of at least 30,000 fans is expected, of which some 20,000 have already purchased the coveted ticket that allows them to attend the matches -which will officially begin on November 18, with the start of the first match- and it is expected that others will do before the weekend.
