Direct Tel Aviv-Doha flights to operate during World Cup - FIFA

DOHA :Direct charter flights will operate between Israel and Qatar, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, during the upcoming World Cup in Doha, FIFA said Thursday, facilitating attendance by eligible Israeli and Palestinian fans.

Soccer's world governing body said it brokered the deal that would allow holders of match tickets and a valid Hayya fan ID on flights from Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv to Doha's Hamad International during the one-month event.

"With this deal, Israelis and Palestinians will be able to fly together and enjoy football together," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in the statement.

The statement did not specify which Palestinians, who live in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, this might apply to.

The agreement requires Palestinian ticket holders and media "to travel on these chartered flights with no restrictions as they have an equal right to enjoy the tournament," an unnamed spokesperson for Q22, Qatar's tournament operator, said in FIFA's statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a statement that negotiations over several months led to an agreement to open "an Israeli office in Qatar to provide services to fans coming for the World Cup."

Israel's foreign ministry added in a statement that "it was agreed that an Israeli consular team will provide consular services to the Israeli citizens (attending the World Cup).” The statement did not specify where the team would be located.

FIFA said a Doha-based travel company would, in coordination with Israel's foreign ministry, provide consular assistance to Israeli visitors in Qatar during the World Cup, the first to be held in the Middle East and which runs from Nov. 20 to Dec. 18.

In June, when Israel