ISRAEL World Cup 2022: Israel and Qatar negotiate the opening of a ‘temporary office’

The diplomatic representation in Doha would have a limited duration to serve the 10,000 Israeli fans expected during the world championship. However, “direct talks” have stalled over the Palestinian issue. To date, entry to Qatar is linked to the use of a “non-Israeli” passport.

Doha () – Israel and Qatar, the host country for the next World Cup in November, have started “direct talks” with the aim of opening a “temporary” office in Doha to assist Israeli fans during the world championship. The purpose of the office is to provide “consular assistance” to its citizens. However, according to reports in the Times of Israel, negotiations between the two countries – which do not maintain official diplomatic relations but have long-standing military ties – have stalled over the Palestinian issue.

Qatar has called on the Jewish state to also allow Palestinians to freely and unrestrictedly attend the soccer tournament. The talks have not concluded and so far no final agreement has been reached. Israel signed an agreement with FIFA, the body that regulates world soccer, in June to allow its citizens to buy tickets for the tournament and enter Qatar, where they will be admitted for the first time without having to use a “non-Israeli” passport. “.

According to the latest estimates, at least 10,000 Israeli fans are expected to arrive.

In the commitments signed with FIFA at the time of the award of the 2022 World Cup, Doha had agreed to welcome and guarantee the same treatment to all the countries of the world, without any omission of the name or flag. However, fans who have tickets to attend the matches will need to apply for a card called “hayya”, the equivalent of an identification document reserved for fans and also used as a visa to enter Qatar.

Unlike other Gulf countries such as Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have signed agreements to normalize relations, Doha has made the opening of official diplomatic channels conditional on the birth of a full-fledged Palestinian state. And precisely the question of the Palestinians is what, at least for now, has stalled the negotiations for the opening of a “provisional” representation during the sports competition. Indeed, Doha asks that Palestinians also be able to move and enter freely to attend matches, and that presupposes the green light from the Israeli authorities to cross the borders with the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza.

Although negotiations are already underway, the Israeli prime minister’s cabinet has denied rumors of direct contact between Yair Lapid and Qatari leaders on the issue. However, an anonymous official said that “a solution will eventually be found” before the tournament, which is scheduled to take place between November 20 and December 18, begins. Years before there was an Israeli diplomatic office in Qatar, which was closed in 2008 after the offensive in the Gaza Strip. Although they currently have no official relations, Israel and Qatar have forged strong ties and security cooperation, and Mossad representatives frequently visit the Arab country, mostly to coordinate the transfer of Qatari aid to Loop.