This Is How the Qatar World Cup Revived the Palestinian Cause and Brought It Back to the Fore

“Palestine won the World Cup.” This is how prominent social media influencers described the strong presence of the Palestinian cause in the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Fans, activists, and reporters, inside and outside Qatar, all agree on that point, even the Israelis, after expressing shocks at what they described as “the goals scored by the Arab and Palestinian fans against Israel in the tournament.”

Neither “Israel” nor Palestine are participating in the tournament, but the latter “has featured prominently in Qatar,” as described by The Guardian.

While the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) and other international sports organizations have traditionally declared that politics and sports should be kept separated, Western countries crudely inserted politics into sports after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, and therefore it seemed difficult for FIFA and the West to refuse to show support for the Palestinian cause during the Qatar World Cup.

The tournament has suddenly turned into an unprecedented opportunity for Arabs and Palestinians to raise awareness of the Palestine cause in one of the most important international events in the world.

 

A New Kind of International Solidarity

There was no flag strongly presented more than the Palestinian flag during the Qatar World Cup. No match, event, or promotional activity without the Palestinian keffiyeh on the screen.

Palestine is presented during the Qatar World Cup without participating in the tournament.

An incredible scene was during the last minutes of the Tunisia-France match when the Palestinian flag fluttered on the grounds of the Education City stadium in Doha.

In her Interview with Al-Estiklal, human right activist Ghada Bassem Brahmi told the story of the Tunisian fan who stormed the field carrying the flag and wearing the Tunisian hat on his head (the chechia).

“Running into the middle of the field, raising the flag, and performing acrobatic movements, this young Tunisian man impressed millions around the world while the stands shook in cheers for Palestine. Some fans literally cried. I was there and it was just amazing and very emotional, not to mention the joy out of the stadiums. Palestine was everywhere.”

Blogger Khaled Selmi tweeted: “The flag of Palestine flutters over the grass of the World Cup match between Tunisia and France, which was won by the Tunisian team.”

The activist considered it “a severe provocation to the feelings of all the Zionists of the world; the biggest winner in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar is Palestine and its people, and this inevitably has its aftermath.”

According to Brahmi, “this was another scene to recall the West and the Israeli occupation that Palestine is fiercely fighting and resisting to regain its lands.”

Many videos published on social media showed many Arab fans shunning Israeli media, cooling hopes of a thaw.

In a recent report, Le Monde said that the Israeli journalists who came to cover the World Cup in Qatar with very high expectations were greatly disappointed by the huge number of fans who refused their interviews. They were not only being refused but also subject to verbal attacks and a systematic rejection by Arab fans as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians.

The human right activist added to Al-Estiklal: “The rejection of the Israeli journalists in the Qatar World Cup confirms that the Palestinian issue still constitutes a structural element of the Arab identity and illustrates the deep gap between the leaders and their peoples.”

Qatar World Cup has become a golden opportunity for Arabs and Palestinians to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause in one of the most important international events in the world.

The Palestinian flag has become a symbol present everywhere throughout the tournament’s activities, and fans of Arab teams were keen to raise Palestinian flags and wear the Palestinian keffiyeh on their shoulders.

 

Dreams Fade Away

Palestine was the 2022 World Cup star shining in the sky, while Israeli journalists were rejected and fired.

In scenes that were a crushing blow to the occupation, the Qatar World Cup turned into a popular referendum that rejected the normalization agreements signed by some Arab countries, affirming that “Israel” is a pariah in the region and has no place among the Arabs.

Arabs and non-Arabs of different nationalities expressed their rejection of talking to Israeli news channels in different ways.

Some have refused to engage in conversation, others have indicated their commitment to the Palestinian cause, while others have simply walked away after realizing the reporter is an Israeli journalist.

Feeling disappointed and humiliated, Israeli reporters were obliged to hide their identity and say they were from Ecuador after admitting that Palestine and Palestinians have never disappeared from the Arab consciousness.

Speaking to Israeli news channels was intended to obtain popular recognition that legitimized the Israeli settler-colonial structure.

However, the rejection of Arab fans has sent a straightforward message to the Middle East and the West governments that normalization will never find a way, regardless of how many “peace” agreements “Israel” signs with Arab regimes.

The World Cup showed the true unity of the Arab peoples after years of discord, conducting a large and broad campaign of solidarity with the Palestinian people.

 

Unity After Discord

The Qatari World Cup, which is witnessing unprecedented public support and media attention, has given many lessons, the most important of which was “the peoples do not necessarily share their governments’ positions,” Brahmi said to Al-Estiklal.

“Scenes of support for the Palestinian cause were expressed through the presence of the Palestinian flag in the squares, gardens, streets, markets, and above the stands, held by Arab and non-Arab fans; there were 33 teams, not 32, and this is the most beautiful expression of Qatar’s World Cup support for Palestine, its people and its national symbols, even the Moroccan team, despite its country’s signature of the normalization agreement, celebrated the historic win over Spain with the Palestine flag.”

Brahmi added: “Undoubtedly, we will not extinguish this flame in reviving the Palestinian cause after the end of the World Cup. On the contrary, this will be the beginning of the end of the complicity of Arab governments towards the Palestinian cause, after it became clear that the positions of the peoples do not necessarily represent their rulers.”

“Although Palestine does not have a national team to participate in the World Cup, everyone expresses support for the Palestinians and hatred of Israel.”

The human right activist concluded by saying: “Rejecting the Israelis was not limited to the Arabs only, but rather it was a feeling shared by other nationalities during the coverage of the 2022 World Cup, and this would prompt many governments to reconsider some decisions and diplomatic relations.”