Doha, Qatar – A group of Qatari activists fighting against normalising relations with Israel have expressed dismay over their government’s decision to approve direct flights between Tel Aviv and Doha during the soccer World Cup.Â
The protest led by Qatar Youth Against Normalization was small but noticeable in a state where citizens very rarely speak out against authorities.
“It has come as a shock to us that days leading to the World Cup, Qatar has entered new territories of normalization with the announcement that direct flights will now operate between apartheid Israel and Doha,” the group said late on Thursday, quoted by Reuters.
Israel and Qatar, which do not have formal diplomatic ties, agreed to a deal on Thursday, according to FIFA, to make it easier for eligible Israeli and Palestinian fans to attend the World Cup, which takes place from November 20 to December 18.
While Qatar’s Gulf neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates established relations with Israel through agreements mediated by the United States in 2020, Qatar has stated that normalisation with Israel is contingent to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken referred to the flight agreement with Qatar as “a historic event and an essential move that also has enormous promise to strengthen people-to-people contacts and economic partnerships.”