Was Palestine the biggest winner at the World Cup?

LONDON: This year’s FIFA World Cup welcomed fans from across the world, and the quadrennial event is ground zero for reporters. Many football fans snubbed Israeli reporters, though, in a sign of Palestinian solidarity.

For weeks, fans flocked to Doha to be part of the spectacle. The 2022 World Cup held in Qatar was one for the ages. Its message is one of unity for the love of the game, and for the first time, people in fan zones, stadiums, and even players expressed support for Palestine, flying the Palestinian flag and wheeling out pro-Palestinian slogans, chants and songs.

Although this year’s World Cup has been tremendous fun, with Saudi Arabia beating the great Argentina in the group stage and Morocco beating the Spanish and Portuguese before their emotionally draining loss a few days ago, it is the political views, on full display, that have become a significant talking point.

While special direct flights brought fans from Tel Aviv to Doha for the tournament, many fans chose to give Israeli reporters the cold shoulder, as a number of journalists experienced and showcased live on television.   

Almost two years ago, four Arab League member states signed the US-brokered Abraham Accords, through which Israel aims to forge formal ties with countries of the region. Qatar was not one of them.

Videos of fans, mostly Arabs, shunning Israeli media went viral on social platforms. A video was shared on Nov. 18 of a citizen from Qatar in Doha’s Souq Waqif refusing an interview after learning that the reporter worked for an Israeli TV channel.  

Two days later, another video showed a group of Lebanese fans walking away from a journalist when he revealed he was from Israel. One of them said to the Channel 12 reporter: