Qatar’s Failure to Establish Calm Between Palestinians and Israelis
Israel has destroyed Hamas weapon production warehouses in Gaza following a rocket attack from Gaza on Israeli-controlled territories. In response to this attack, new rocket attacks from Gaza towards Israel have occurred again.
These developments are bad news for the Qataris, who had warned the Palestinians at the start of the World Cup, through a special envoy, to refrain from escalation and rocket attacks during the tournament. Already, Arab spectators present at various World Cup matches and even players from Arab teams have drawn much attention by carrying Palestinian flags and large banners supporting Palestinians. One can imagine that if tensions and serious conflicts rise again, there could be specific reactions from Arab spectators during the games.