Alwaght- Seeing the Persian Gulf Arab states a gate to normalization with the Arab world, the Israeli regime seizes any cultural and economic opportunity to realize its goals. From presence in international fairs to investment in the major economic projects and recently engagement in sports events all represent the Israeli crawling for influence in the Arab countries. Next week, the 2022 World Cup will be inaugurated in Qatar, and this tournament has many attractions for the Israelis to advance their normalization agenda through informal cooperation such as sports and artistic activities. Driven by this reason, Tel Aviv leaders have made great efforts to build a direct air bridge from the occupied Palestinian territories to Doha to send settlers to watch the football matches.
According to an agreement finalized on November 10 between the Israeli regime and Qatar, daily flights between Doha and Tel Aviv will take thousands of Israelis to the Persian Gulf monarchy. Israeli regime informed the citizens, who can enter Qatar under normal conditions, that they will be able to freely travel to the Arab state and watch the matches. The Occupying regime's football team did not qualify for the World Cup, but Israeli citizens travel to Qatar to watch these games closely. According to Israeli media reports, it is expected that a population of about 25,000 to 30,000 from the occupied territories will travel to Qatar during the World Cup. Travel of such a large number of Israeli football fans for World Cup matches in a country with no diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv is unprecedented.
Given the fact that Doha and Tel Aviv have no diplomatic relations, the Israelis could travel to this country through a foreign country and by indirect flights, but after this agreement, they will receive a visa directly from Doha and will have direct flights to Qatar, which can be a great achievement for the Tel Aviv leaders who seize any opportunity for diplomatic and cultural contacts with the Arab countries and use it to buy legitimacy in the Arab world.
The FIFA hospitality website put Palestine instead of Israel in the list of countries whose citizens can buy tickets. Residents of the occupied territories wishing to book tickets to travel to Doha for the World Cup must select Palestine as their home country instead of Israel. Media reports suggest that according to the terms of the agreement reached with FIFA, Israelis who wish to attend the tournament must first purchase a ticket for one of the matches, then apply for a ‘fan card.’ If accepted, they will carry the card that would serve as a pass for their entry to Qatar. Then they can book hotels.
Although Israeli officials claim that they have been able to send their citizens to Qatar through consultations with the FIFA, it does not seem that FIFA has intervened in this matter and this issue is related to the Qatari government that is responsible for preparations of presence of foreigners in the country. The FIFA cannot pressure the host to engage with countries they have no diplomatic relations with.
A prelude to normalization
Although Qatari officials have repeatedly denied any normalization, some suspicious movements, especially under the excuse of World Cup, raise some questions and lead to the notion that such relations can be a prelude to the normalization of relations between Doha and Tel Aviv.
Although the agreement is seemingly limited to period of the World Cup, the Times of Israel news website has described the move as the continuation of Israeli efforts to have a regional presence and be accepted in the Persian Gulf. Yair Lapid, who was the prime minister until recently, called the agreement with Qatar an international achievement.
“The World Cup in November opens a new door for us to warm ties,” he added.
In February, media reported that an Israeli business jet “identified with Mossad” landed in Doha. Although the Qatari authorities did not confirm or deny the news, it seems that preparations for normalization have been made with direct flights and the World Cup, and the Israelis have taken advantage of this event to consolidate normalization process in the future.
Qatar ties any normalization of relations with Tel Aviv to the implementation of the two-state solution, but all the evidence indicates that the Israelis have abused the World Cup to bridge the gaps with Qatar.
Visa issuance to thousands of Israelis for the global football tournament has led to severe reactions from Qatari activists, who expressed their opposition to the normalization process. However, a Qatari official has said that the flight agreement will not change his country's position towards Tel Aviv. The official said the flight agreement is part of Qatar's commitment to FIFA's requirements for hosting the tournament and the issue should not be politicized.
The strong reaction of the Qatari public to allowing the Israelis to travel to Qatar has caused the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Office to advise the Israelis to avoid unnecessary travels to Qatar due to what it called the hostility of the Qataris towards to Israel regime and existence of terrorist elements in this country.
The Qatari hosting of Israeli citizens is a step already taken by the Saudis. Actually, Qatar is following in the footsteps of the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. A few months ago, Saudi Arabia issued permission for Israeli planes to fly in its airspace for shorter flights to East Asia. Even during the Hajj rituals, dozens of Jews traveled to Mecca and Medina to “explore the culture and customs of the Saudis” and published their films in the streets of Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia does not have political relations with the Israeli regime either, but with the actions it takes, it is getting closer to normalization every day. The same actions are being taken by Doha and Qatari officials may join the normalization process.
The Israelis hope to open an interests section in Doha, but Qatari officials appear to have declined the proposal. The country was the first Persian Gulf Arab state to establish contacts with the Israeli regime in 1996 and allowed Tel Aviv to open its trade office in Doha. But the office was closed down in 2000. Still, Tel Aviv officials are not disappointed and continue diplomatic interactions with the Qataris until they meet their aims.
The first reason the Israelis meet the Arab officials is to persuade them to join the normalization process. Qatar is a priority to the Israelis because of its role in its regional developments and because it is one of the biggest backers of the Palestinians. The Israeli effort to reopen its consulate after two decades demonstrates that Tel Aviv sees closeness to Doha as part of its regional project based on which through relations with the Arab countries the occupied territories would see a boost to their security. In the meantime, the World Cup can help an essential step closer to realization of this Israeli dream.
