video duration 03 minutes and 45 seconds
Ali Al-Awar, an Israeli affairs expert, said major Israeli newspapers, such as (Israel Today), (Yediot Ahronot) and (Haaretz), all agreed that Israel failed to tap into the sentiment popular and Arab culture, and that the World Cup in Qatar concretely confirmed that the Israeli presence is a problem, rejected by the Arab peoples.
Al-Awar added, in an interview with Al-Jazeera Mubasher’s (evening) program on Sunday evening, that the way Israeli correspondents and some protocol delegations were treated during the days of the World Cup confirmed that Israel “does not knew the truth about Arab awareness and culture”, underlining that “the Al-Arabi popular awareness is against any form of normalization with Israel, and this was revealed during the World Cup.
He said that the State of Qatar, by organizing the World Cup, has brought the issue of Palestine back to the international level. He underlined that “Qatar has won the bet in giving consideration to the just demands of the Palestinian people”.
Social media activists circulated clips of Arab fans of Qatari, Saudi, Lebanese and Moroccan nationality who refused to be interviewed by Israeli media following FIFA World Cup matches in Qatar.
A Japanese fan also refused to give an interview to Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth, as a continuation of the string of public denials of Israeli press presence at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Where the Israeli journalist, Raz Shashnik, wanted to interview a fan of the Japanese national team, after his team’s victory against the German one, but refused.
Majd Shaath, one of the Arab fans who refused to speak to an Israeli media outlet, said: “All free people in the world must refuse to interview journalists who work for Zionist or Israeli institutions.”
He added to the (evening) program that the lesson offered by the Arab public not to deal with Israelis stems from the fact that any “dialogue with these correspondents is an acknowledgment of Israel’s existence”.
He went on to say, “The boycott and lack of dialogue with the media is a stance and a weapon against the Israeli narrative and its promotion.”
Shaath revealed that the position of the Arab, Islamic and even international masses in the World Cup made it clear that “the Palestinian people are not alone” in their battle against the occupation forces. He recalled: “This is a message to the Palestinians, so they can make sure we are with them.”
