Responding to online furor over Israeli participation in a sports competition in Doha this week, a flag at Qatar’s Aspire Zone that has been flying, among others, outside of the Hamad Aquatic Center has been removed.
Several nations’ flags were raised as part of the FINA Swimming World Cup 2013, which the Aspire Zone hosted on Sunday and Monday. The international tournament featured athletes from all over the world, including Israel.
A row began brewing online after a tweet complaining about the Israeli flag flying outside of Aspire was posted on Sunday evening:
صورة أخرى لعلم إسرائيلي يمثل الفريق الذي يشارك في بطولة #FINA للسباحة في قطر، خارج أسباير زون هذه المرة. #تطبيع pic.twitter.com/WNetzObK0e
— إم الصوص (@SaraAlDisi) October 20, 2013
According to one resident, the flag was taken down by the next afternoon:
@qatarliving @dohanews now they take out the Israel flag. What a shame pic.twitter.com/X161TbnOAT
— Danijel Poropat (@vzla71) October 21, 2013
Last night, a security guard at the site told Doha News that staff removed the flag around noon on Monday because many people were taking photos of it. It is not clear who was responsible for taking it down. When reached for comment, an Aspire media representative said to speak to Aspire Logistics, which is in charge of venues.
The removal of the flag has satisfied some, but a local group said Qatar must go further than that, and revoke its long-standing invitation to Israeli athletes over the nation’s human rights abuses.
Tensions
Qatar, which has long been a champion of the Palestinian cause and just promised some $150 million in debt relief to the Palestinian Authority yesterday, has had a strained relationship with Israel in recent years.
Last year, the former Emir ruffled feathers when he made a historic visit to Gaza, the first head of state to do so since Hamas took power in 2007. And in 2009, an Israeli trade office in Doha that had been open for more than a decade was shuttered following Israel’s invasion of Gaza.
However, Qatar, which has bid for the Olympics and will host the World Cup in 2022, has been working to become a major player in the sports arena. And officials have said on numerous occasions that athletes from all countries are welcome to compete in the 2022 games.
Still, some segments of the population disagree with this approach.
With regards to this week’s tournament, the Qatar Youth Opposed to Normalization (QAYON) posted a letter to the president of the Qatar Swimming Association, urging the group to boycott Israel.
In an email to Doha News, QAYON member Esraa said, “It is great they removed the flag, but our demands were not limited to that.”
She continued:
“Sports are a strong propaganda tool. Allowing Israeli athletes to participate in international sports in general, and in Qatar specifically, gives it a chance to whitewash its crimes. And while many might argue that we shouldn’t mix sports with politics, we would say Israel does that all the time.
Just last year it barred a paralyzed Palestinian athlete who lives in Gaza from attending an Olympic celebration in Jerusalem. Israel also bombed a stadium and killed 3 football players in its attack on Gaza in 2009. During its blockade on Gaza, footballs were among the items banned from entering the Strip. The examples of mixing sports and politics are many, and they are often committed by Israel.”
But this view does not appear to be shared by all Qataris.
On Twitter, Northwestern University in Qatar journalism student Alanood Al-Thani said:
@iloveqatar I don’t mind Israelis being here for sport but DON’T raise the flag. If you HAVE to then do it in the stadium.
— Alanood Al-Thani (@Al_Anood) October 21, 2013
Speaking to Doha News, Khalifa Saleh Al Haroon, founder of ILoveQatar.net, denounced Israeli aggression against Palestinians. But he added:
“Qatar is seen as a country of peace and dialogue. A country that tries to help bridge the gap between nations that otherwise wouldn’t even talk to each other…Now that people see a flag in an Olympic stadium they’ve suddenly become enraged with blind hate? What are people going to do when it’s World Cup time? It’s called the WORLD cup. You can’t reject a country from participating.
I’m just a normal Qatari, I’m not a politician or overly religious, I just have hope that people will open their eyes and see the big picture.”
Meanwhile, the debate continues online, under the hashtags: #التطبيع_مع_الكيان_الصهيوني_لا_يمثلني (the deal/normalization with the Zionists does not represent me) and #تطبيع (normalization).
Thoughts?
Credit: Photo for illustrative purposes courtesy of Aspire on Facebook
My boy was in the same class at Doha College as the son of the Belgian ambassador and his wife, who have since been convicted for the deaths in the Villaggio fire. They owned Garvey’s, the now defunct watering hole, and closed the bar for a night to hold a birthday party for their boy, to which all his classmates were invited.
Towards the end of the night, I was sat drinking with the owner and his friend, who was military attaché to the Israeli trade mission in Doha, where we talked about Palestine, the Balfour declaration, the role of the US in the Middle East, as well as lighter topics such as the best rally routes through the Sinai desert.
There has always been engagement between Qatar and Israel at the highest levels. That the plebs cause a stir whenever Israel is mentioned won’t stop these meetings, but will simply ensure that they are kept out of the public gaze.
There would be little International Sport of any kind played around the world if this stance was taken by all countries. Nearly everyone on the planet could cite a reason for a particular country to be excluded for one reason and another. In 2022 the FIFA World Cup will come to Qatar. What will happen if Israel qualify? Will their team or followers face hostility? Will their flag not be flown along with all the other countries flags? Setting aside difference is what is required to be an integral part of the International sports scene. Qatar should be embracing the opportunity to engage the whole world through sport, not being selective.
Well said DickDePilot!
Thank you 🙂
After the Zionists lived in Europe for centuries they were shipped to Palestine and they claimed it as their land, killing countless of innocent lives and displacing many more from their land and homes. They are one of the biggest criminals in recent history, and unfortunately they had to be placed in the Middle East like a virus, constantly causing problems and making conflicts.
The West ignores all the war crimes that Israel commits, such as the chemical weapons they used on Palestinians in 2009. When Syria used chemical weapons the whole world was shaken and considered Bashar a terrorist. Why the double standards? Why does everyone talk about Israel as if its a normal country like any other, when in reality it acts more like a criminal organization? Unfortunately the West is blinded by the US controlled media. What Israel has done and keeps doing will never let it be welcome in the Middle East.
Israel is akin to a criminal organization,agreed. Who is holding a gun to Qatar’s head asking them to bid for & host these GLOBAL sports tournaments?!?!?! They cannot agree to host these events & then DISAGREE to one particular country’s flag being flown or that country’s citizens taking part in those events!!! Life does not work like that unfortunately.
“They cannot agree to host these events & then DISAGREE to one particular country’s flag being flown or that country’s citizens taking part in those events!” Ooooh yes we can, we just did. We can also allow the sale of alcohol but make it possible to get arrested for drinking it in that same place we licensed to sell the booze! Wonder Land has got nothing on us 🙂
Will agree to disagree on this I guess.
Taking down the flag sends a message to the Israelis that they are not welcome here. Qatar has not banned Israel from participating, so its capable of holding global events. But it makes it clear that they are in a hostile environment. Its actually admirable of Qatar to stand up for the Palestinian cause when so many other Arab countries have forgotten about it.
Newsflash: Israel is located in the Middle East.
yet most its people are from europe
But their ancestry was from Jerusalem and surrounding area.
Sure it is buddy, I’m sure all those Russians who look like putins nephew are originally from here
Ashkenazim are a minority. More than half of Israeli Jews are from the Middle East or Arab countries. You’re a racist anyway.
What did I say that was racist? I’m arab if you said we look like king abdullah nephew I wouldn’t find that racist. While I do acknowledge that there are many mizrahi Jews in israel who have every right to be the in the middle east. If you read even a little about the aliyah you should know it is made up of a huge number of Europeans colonists.
You’re a racist because you decide who can live in a place based on race or ethnicity. That’s racism.
If they had come peacefully and legally I would have no problem of them living here regardles of there race, but Europeans came with no intention of living with the natives but with the desire to oust the natives from there land to build a home for themselfs
That’s not true. The Jews, Israel, wanted to vive in peace with Arabs. The Arabs who lived there received Israeli citizenship and full rights. Now Israeli-Arabs are over 12% of the Israeli population. You can find Israeli-Arabs who are soldiers (some are high-ranked), members of the Parliament, diplomats, etc. You’re very uninformed and misinformed.
I’m sure when zionisim is by your definition racist (deciding who gets to live here based on race) and the colonists that came here in the 1900’s had the intention of ousting the natives to build a jewish state that is a fact the founders of israel repetadly stated.
So should we kick the Kuwaitis out of Kuwait? The Pakistanis out of Pakistan? Jordanians from Jordan? et al
you know any native pakistani|,kuwati or jordanian waiting to return to there home land in refugee camps? all of those countries are made up of people from the region who did they take the land from? europeans? africans?
The Jews lived there for centuries before being pogrommed out of the entire middle east. They were refugees throughout the world with a huge number always longing for a return to their ancestral homeland. So what about their right of return?
first of all how many European jews can actually definitively proof they have middle eastern ancestry? secondly even if they could after being in europe since the freaking dark ages doesnt that make them European by now? and thirdly does having ancestry from literally a thousand years ago in a place give you the right to oust the current local population from there? if they wanted to return peacfuly and legally i would have no issue but they like westeners that went to south africa or Australia or america came with the intent of killing the local “savages” forcing them out and building there nation on top of the pain and suffering of the natives
All Jews can trace their heritage to the Middle East just as all MUslims can since thats WHERE IT STARTED. Is that like the al Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock being built ontop of the Temple Mount?
all muslims can trace their heritage to the middle east? are you high or tired? you do know muslims come in all colors from every ethnicity and race there is from Middle east ancestory or far east or European, african, etc
Did it not start in the Middle East?
yeah islam started in the middle east that doesnt make all muslims middle eastern seriously dude you want examples of famous non middle eastern muslims or something? cus this is a pretty obvious thing where the religion you follow started has nothing to do with your ancestry there are million of people with all kind of heritage from all over the world that are muslim that doesnt mean they have middle eastern blood
But an overwhelming majority of Jews trace their ancestry to Israel. I don’t want to talk religion/politics as that’s is not the point of the story. LIke my last post said…”to be a world player in the sports world you cannot pick and choose who attends those events. Nor can you show such pettiness as showing a blank rectangle to symbolize their flag that represents a competing athlete of that country. As I posted before I’m assuming by your comments you felt the PLO was correct in ’72 as well. Yes?”
most Israelis i met can barley trace there linage further than there great grand parents but ok even assuming thats true still as i said earlier “secondly even if they could after being in europe since the freaking dark ages doesnt that make them European by now? and thirdly does having ancestry from literally a thousand years ago in a place give you the right to oust the current local population from there? if they wanted to return peacfuly and legally i would have no issue but they like other westeners that went to south africa or Australia or america came with the intent of killing the local “savages” forcing them out and building there nation on top of the pain and suffering of the natives”
You already said that. Do you not think that the Israelis act proactively? The Europeans put them there because they pogrommed them out of Europe. IN 1948 the Israelis fought the Arabs and the outcome was that Israel took over a large swath of land that was partitioned to the Arabs. In ’67 fought Egypt, Syria and Jordan and as a result Israel took over Gaza and the Sinai from Egypt, the W. Bank and E. Jerusalem from Jordan ( so that would make those from those areas Jordanian, not Palestinian right?) and the Golan from Syria. In ’73 the Egyptians and Syrians launched another attack and Israel repulsed that. I had an older Israeli immigrant friend who said he was positioned in such a place that he could see the street lights of Cairo. What do these conflicts have in common? All were initiated by arab states. So who’s the troublemaker? I know they don’t teach this in arab schools. The total defeat by the Israelis was unthinkable. So the Israelis captured all this territories but through a series of peace deals brokered mostly by the americans most of the land taken was returned. The Golan Heights retained because of it’s buffer with Syria. then Israelis are not going to let that happen again. Revising history doesn’t make it true. Just like claiming the Holocaust didn’t happen doesn’t make it so.
you actually didnt address anything i said, israeli is not a middle eastern country it is a nation created by Europe for Europeans they didnt want that means they intiated this entire conflict by coming here against the will of the local population stating a bunch of historical facts that by the way we did learn in school doesnt change the fact that they are infact european colonists and not native middle easterners (at least half of them anyway), i agree with every historlcal fact you just mentioned and if israel was a middle eastern country then almost every war against it would be an illegal act of agrression but its not its a european colony and with that fact simply existing (on and taking more) occupied land is an ongoing war crime
Sure it is. It’s right there beside Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt… It’s not arab but no one said you had to be arab to be middle eastern. And Palestine was never a country.
agreed as our Turkish and Persian friends are not arab, Israeli’s (at least half of them) though are european and news flash europeans arent middle eastern
So the ones born there since ’48 and the 1/2 you admit are middle eastern….
if one of there parents was middle eastern then sure
LIsten dude we’ll just have to agree to disagree. ONe look at your FB acct and this
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151277084164485&set=pb.707049484.-2207520000.1382828379.&type=3&theater
told me everything I needed to know about you. As a human being you should be ashamed but as a Qatari I’m sure you have none. Really classy. LOL
hmm insult an entire country because you dont like my post, if you keep looking you will also find jokes about blacks,arabs,indians and so on many find some jokes wrong like the ones on family guy or south park. if u had a problem with holocaust jokes then you basically hate every jewish comedian out there. politically incorrect humor is the best out there in my opinion but that doesn’t reflect ones moral views
No Jews don’t joke about the Holocaust. It’s really not funny. Just keep up the stereotype habibi.
then you dont watch family guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4q-ho5bTB4
you know half the writers are jewish right?
So do you tell Palestinian refugee jokes? Martyrs of the Intifada jokes? Syrian massacre jokes? Abu Gareib or Guantanamo jokes? For such an “educated, english speaker better than my english speaking friends…” member of society you are pretty daft.
yes i do,
what do you do when you see a thousand dead arabs? stop laughing and reload
and one of the best jokes on family guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7_0NoRHOEM
No I mean specific instances like I mentioned. Substitute Palestinians for Arabs and tell a friend. Will they laugh?
i wouldnt be offened by any, only reason im not saying any is cus i cant think of some at the moment but yes all of those are subjects i have no issue joking about as long as the joke doesnt come from a place of hate. comedian ricky gervais went on a rant saying all subjects are open to be joked about as long as it doesnt come from a place of hate
Can’t think of any because who in their right mind would tell one. Esp an Arab. LIsten I have nothing else to discuss with you. Any one who takes their cues from Family Guy has something terribly wrong. and when you thnk of that Palestinian Massacre joke let me know. I have all the info I need. Keep hating.
i dont hate anyone thats why i joke about everyone, some take offence others dont you clearly do but many members of society would disagree with you as politically incorrect humor is popular especially more so in western media than in middle eastern
OK I’ll take that back. Qataris are the most benevolent people on earth who treat others with the, snicker snicker, the utmost respect. YOU are just a moron.
resort to name calling clearly your a person worthy of respect,
I have no respect for people who joke about mass murder. So sorry
So then they do have aright to be there then. At least the 1/2 you say are MEs
i have no issue with that half if anything we owe them for the way they were treated in there respective middle eastern countries before they were forced out into israel. its basically the russians,polish,western,eastern european,etc that i take issue with
This has regressed into a political/religious issue now. The point being is that if you want to be a world player in the sports world you cannot pick and choose who attends those events. Nor can you show such pettiness as showing a blank rectangle to symbolize their flag that represents a competing athlete of that country. As I posted before I’m assuming by your comments you felt the PLO was correct in ’72 as well. Yes?
what does plo in 72 has to do with this? no i dont agree with that no, i agree with fighting back against israel but in war there are still rules just because israel doesnt respect them that doesnt excuse arabs to act the same way. injustice being done to the arabs does not justify every action the arabs want to take
Because that’s an example of politics in sports.
U srsly played that card??? “You’re a racist because you decide who can live in a place based on race or ethnicity. That’s racism” Have you seen what’s going on in Israel lately about the africans?? If anyone is a racist its the Israeli’s. They are a disgrace the way they dehumanize themselves from their own people and others just to have “Their Own State”, yet anyone says anything about them we are considered “Anti-Semitic”…. They are a complete and utter disgrace to their own kind…Check this out and see for yourself “https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10151915107113984”
Most Africans have got residence and work permits, and some have been naturalized. The foreign media lies a lot about this issue. Africans are a problem: they steal, rape, kill… If you like Africans so much, why don’t you take those Africans to your home? They can stay in your country. Israel is a very small country and they are a demographic threat. Those in the video are angry extreme right “arsim”. They don’t represent most Israelis’ view. There are racists like them in every country, including yours.
Ancestry mr brain fart
if those europeans ashkanazi’s are from the middle east then im a descendant of Japanese samurai. besides if your great great great great grandfather is from the middle east does that make you any less European?
MIMH, I think the voting down person hates me as well 🙂
If you’re hosting an international sports event and you’ve chosen to publicly fly the flags of all the participating nations outside the venue, then you should do so impartially. You could choose to hang all the flags indoors instead, but then again, fly all of them indoors. Equitable treatment is expected for all those who participate.
If Qatar wants to boycott Israel, it is free to do so — but then it accepts the risk that it may not get hosting rights for international sports tournaments. Choose your battles.
You can’t have your cake and eat it too.
especially when for years Qatar had economic relationships with Israel. There was an Israeli chamber of commerce here….
I will tell you why Israel is a big issue for all Muslims.
Christians, Jews and Muslims are waiting for “someone” that will save them.
For Jews it’s the “Anti-Christ” aka Dajjal that will kill most of Muslims and Christians.
For Christians it’s Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) that will take them to heavens killing everyone in the world (Rapture)
For Muslims it’s again Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) who will come to fight Dajjal resulting in killing of all Jews plus many Christians.
Now for Christians one very important condition which needs to be fulfilled before Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) can come is the arrival of Dajjal. And for Dajjal to arrive Jews need to dominate this world. That’s why you see great deal of cooperation between USA and Israel because this is what conservative Christians believe in. Although inside their heart they believe that all Jews and Muslims will be killed anyway once Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam (peace be upon him) arrives.
The whole center point of this issue is Israel where Zionists live.
You do realise that you sound a bit crazy.
lol yeah!
just a small comment, rapture is nowhere to be found in the Bible. It is a mistranslation from Greek to Latin. It is an American in the 19th Century that thought about ‘Rapture’. That’s why you see it only in American movies and some crazy fanatics…
Half knowledge together with preconception is a dangerous mix. Never heard so weird logic.
When three major religions of the world say something then you better believe it otherwise it will be too late. And they all three talk about a BIG war coming likes of which world has never seen.
Yes Ali, but now please ask the nurse to bring you back in your room
🙂
So why did the Arab Muslims invade and conquer the land that is now called Israel/Palestine in the first place all those years ago? (Or do you think they all started speaking arabic and converted to Islam one day because it seems like a really good idea at the time….)
Your historical skills need little brushing up.
Well please enlighten me…
All major empires spread their language, customs and religion mainly through warfare and it is the reason we are speaking English now…. don’t forget Prophet Mohd and those that followed him were formidable warriors. (or maybe you believe the inhabitants of the levant and for that matter North Africa on meeting Arabs went great, “love your lanuage and your religion, lets just dump our culture and customs and start speaking Arabic and convert”)
There is no doubt that Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was the greatest warrior that’s why when he died he didn’t leave any huge palaces, money, gold etc.
His only property was some swords (probably 9 of them if I remember correctly) and may be some other small items.
Whether he was the greatest warrior would be open to debate but he was a very successful one, but not quite as successful as those that came after him. Jews, Christains and Muslims all waged war over some stupid bits of land for a long time in that area. All have blood on their hands and it just happened the arab/muslim armies were the most successful in conquering north africa, arabia and the levant. Hence the legacy of arabic and islam in those lands.
Not hating, just facts my friend
I understand what you are saying. I am a man of love not hate.
Me too, only the war lords and the arms sellers do not truly appreciate the brutality and futility of war.
Really that got voted down? What are you for then, war or you just hate me?
When was Indonesia, the most populous Muslim nation, invaded by Arabs and converted to Islam? Why do the people in Iran still speak Farsi, and not Arabic, even though they were among the 1st lands to be conquered outside of Arabia? Is the reason I speak English becasue Qatar was once a British protectorate?
Sorry to disappoint you but Indonesia became Muslim in a variety of different ways and one of which was conquest. Doesn’t have to necessary be Arab Muslims
It was initially believed that Islam penetrated Indonesian society in a largely peaceful way, and from the 14th century to the end of the 19th century the archipelago saw almost no organised Muslim missionary activity. This claim is then contradicted by later findings of scholars that some parts of Java, i.e. Sundanese West Java and the kingdom of Majapahit on East Java was conquered by Javanese Muslims. The Hindu-Buddhist Sunda Kingdom of Pajajaran was conquered by Muslim conquest in the 16th century, while the Muslim-coastal and Hindu-Buddhist-interior part of East Java was often at war. Organised spread of Islam is also evident by the existence of Wali Sanga (nine holy patriarch) which credited for the Islamisation of Indonesia during this period.
The reason you speak English is because you learnt it……
And also because it is the defacto second language in the world, partly because of British conquests, American conquests and economic might and partly because Qatar used to be a British protectorate
Well I hate to spoil your fun, but I learned to speak English watching shows like The Golden Girls, Designing Women, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Friends, Frasier, Will & Grace, and more. All my jokes are basically recycled materials from these shows.
Back then Qataris were mainly Bedou so it was much easier to retain their language. you speak English probably mostly from the huge influx of expats since the discovery of oil/gas in Qatar. That’s assuming you’re Qatari. Either way you probably went to an english speaking school.
Okay you got me; I’m a Latvian Meg Ryan look alike drag queen who gets her kicks pretending to be a Qatari man on Doha News.
Huh?
Its funny how these religions that proclaim love, ends with a lot of killing.
I like how you are able to speak for “all Muslims”. That’s pretty impressive to know the hearts and minds of over a billion people.
what?
Part about Dajjal is present in many Hadiths.
This is a good move, individual Israelis I have no problem with as they are not oppressing Palestinians, (well not the majority at least) but Israel as a country is oppressing the Palestinian people. For that their flag should not be represented here, when they respect human rights then that can change.
If that is the criteria, then an awful lot of flags will need to come down. Maybe the Swiss (but then they voted to ban the construction of minarets), or maybe Nauru (but they are now hosting/imprisoning asylum seekers trying to get into Australia). Well, I guess no one gets to hoist a flag then.
I think that is a bit harsh on Nauru, they are not killing or torturing illegal migrants to Australia they are just housing them.They should feel safe now after fleeing the perscution back home they claim made them leave in the first place…
True, but the asylum seekers have expressed a great deal of hostility over it. My point is that it’s impossible to draw the line. If the nations are admitted by the organizing body to the games, then that should be enough.
But they are not really asylum seekers, they are economic migrants. If they were really refugees they should be happy to be taken in anywhere they are not being in threat of being killed or oppressed.
Not according to them they are not. Listen, I don’t have a position on this. My point was merely that even seemingly tiny and benign countries have groups that object to their behavior.
At the risk of repeating myself,a country that CHOOSES to bid for hosting rights of a global sporting event MAY NOT choose which flags may be flown & which country’s citizens may or may not compete in that event. It is upto the respective global bodies or associations to make that decision NOT the host nation. (As with South Africa during the apartheid era when their teams were globally banned from taking part in many global sporting events)
If Qatar wants to host world sporting events, then its people will have to get used to including nations they don’t like.
Besides, sports are meant to be a way to bridge the cultural, ethnic, racial, and political divides. Time to embrace that spirit.
They’re moaning about someone perpetrating Human Rights abuses?? Really?!? TIme for a very serious period of self-reflection, methinks….
I cannot help but feel that all this anger is redirected aggression by people who are upset about their (work, family, living situation, etc). What good does it do the Palestinian cause to remove this flag? What harm does it do Israel or its occupation? Are not there more worthy causes to rally behind?
Totally agree. It’s a pointless complaint and a pointless, petty gesture. The Palestinian cause is a worthy one–one that is worthy of more than such pettiness.
If you organize an international sport event, than you respect all participating states. Taking down a flag is asking for trouble.
asking an arab to put up an Israeli flag is like asking a jew to put up a Nazi flag. that being said if we want to host world events we have to be willing to raise the participating countries flags, luckily the Israeli team isnt nearly good enough to qualify for the world cup 🙂
You mean they aren’t good enough at the moment?!
2022 is a while away so I wouldn’t make that call just yet! Knowing those wily Jews they might just put in the extra effort to somehow qualify for ’22!
Imagine if you guys get drawn to play against them! Would be interesting to say the least!
wily jews? thats a bit racist but yeah i highly doubt they will qualify they are competing in the European league arent they?
Neither is Qatar by a long shot.
We’re hosting, automatically qualified baby
That doesn’t prove worthiness
who said anything about worthiness? just said qatar will be in the world cup, israel wont be
People of the world, Grow up! If we continue on the path we are now, there would be no Israel or Palestine or
the Middle East or anyother lad fit for human use. In the past, fight for land was for settlement, spreading cultures/ civilizations and in many cases asserting individual ideologies. Now we have managed to partially pollute and destroy the speck of dust called earth that we live in, managed to strike hate in each other’s heart in the name of religion and wealth….we will not have any land to fight for if this goes on! My point is all these things are very miniscule compared to the bigger problem we face as a race!
If sports helps bring people together for some time, then let it be!
I am in no way marginalizing suffering of the people of Palestine or in other conflict zones, but saying that a solution is urgent, since there are other and bigger issues coming mankind’s way and we need to stick together!
Boycott Qatar!