Palestine has already won the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. They mark the hearts and minds of fans around the world.
Many Palestinian flags, Palestinian armbands and bracelets can be seen, and “Free Palestine” chants can be heard in stadiums, fan zones, on the streets and on social media. One might think that Palestine is one of the 32 countries participating in this World Cup. Some Latin American media described Palestine as the “33rd country” in the tournament.
The Palestinian national team does not play, so why is Palestine so ubiquitous?
Because the World Cup is not just a sport. It is a large gathering of people from all over the world to share their passion for football and celebrate diversity and human unity.
This year’s World Cup is the first to be held in an Arab country. So, it’s more accessible than the last World Cup – geographically, logistically, culturally – for the people of the region. It provided space for people in the area to come together on a large scale without the usual fear of repression.
As a result, Palestine automatically took center stage, uniting Arabs in a jubilant and celebratory atmosphere and reaffirming their commitment to the Palestinian cause.
Free Palestine!
In this rare moment of Arab vox populi, supporting Palestine seems like an expression of independence, a symbol of resistance not only to the continued occupation of Palestine, but also to the neocolonial order of oppressive Arab regimes. It brings back powerful moments in revolutionary efforts more than a decade ago, when Arabs raised the flag of Palestine and chanted “free Palestine” along with their demands for freedom and dignity.
Indeed, the Palestinian flag is a sign of Arab political agency and is a regular feature in the stands at football matches.
We saw a large Palestinian flag at the Tunisia-Australia match on November 26 and the Morocco-Belgium match the day after. The giant flag kept coming back in subsequent races.
During the Tunisia-France match, a Tunisian fan waving a Palestinian flag ran onto the pitch and was forcibly removed by security personnel.
Morocco’s players hoisted the Palestinian flag on the pitch to celebrate their victory against Canada, reaching the round of 16 and qualifying for the quarter-finals with a historic victory over Spain.
Moroccan worshipers celebrate in Doha’s iconic Souq Waqif and sing the famous Rajavi chant:
Our hearts go out to you.
For years our eyes cry for you.
Dear Palestine
Where are the Arabs, they are sleeping.
Oh, fairest of all countries, defend yourself
God save you…
Many matches have also seen Palestinian flags raised in the 48th minute to remind the world of the Nakba (catastrophe) experienced in 1948, when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled and made refugees for life.
But Arabs are not the only ones who support Palestine.
“Free Palestine, Free Palestine,” Brazilian fans were heard chanting in the Doha subway as they headed to the match against Cameroon. Fans from all over the world were delighted to receive and wave Palestinian flags provided by Palestinians in the streets of Doha.
When generalization fails
Although Israel and Qatar do not have formal diplomatic relations, Israeli media and citizens have been allowed to participate in the World Cup at the request of FIFA. The Israeli government may have seen the tournament as an incredible opportunity to prove once again that it can overcome the decades-long Arab policy of non-engagement with the Israeli colonial regime. But it wasn’t like that.
Fans completely rejected the Israeli media. Dozens of viral videos are circulating on social media showing Israelis trying to talk to fans and failing miserably. Lebanese, Saudis, Moroccans, Egyptians, Jordanians, Qataris, Yemenis, Tunisians, Palestinians, Japanese, Brazilians, Iranians and others have also been caught on camera refusing to engage.
“You are not welcome here,” a Saudi football fan tells an Israeli reporter in a video. “Even though it is Qatar, it is still our country. There is no Israel, only Palestine.”
In another video, some English fans line up behind an Israeli journalist who appears ready to speak. He asked them “Are you coming home?” “Coming home” they replied. “But the most important thing is free Palestine!” One of them yells into the microphone before they leave.
Apparently, the situation has gotten so bad for the Israeli media that some of its reporters have started pretending to be from other countries such as Portugal, Germany and Ecuador. Others kept trying.
“We are at peace, aren’t we? You signed the peace agreement, you signed the peace agreement,” said an Israeli journalist who desperately tried to get Moroccan fans to talk to him. As they marched, they shouted, “Palestine, no Israel.”
In 2020, Morocco signed agreements to normalize diplomatic relations with Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Sudan. It allowed Israelis to travel to the UAE, among others, where they received a warm welcome. This experience may have led them to think they would be welcome in the field, but they are not.
The Israeli media is busy talking about how unwelcome Israelis feel in Qatar, being kicked out of restaurants and taxis for even claiming to be from Israel. There seems to be a growing awareness in Israel that normalization efforts are not as successful as they thought.
The Arabs have always known this: normalization and peace agreements are only valid on paper with governments that do not represent the people. Their hearts will stay with Palestine until the Palestinians are free, and that will only happen when the rest of the region is free.
The survival of the Israeli apartheid state fundamentally depends on undemocratic totalitarian regimes turning a deaf ear to the voices of their people for freedom in all matters, including Palestine.
A successful boycott
Viral videos of Israel’s misbehavior at the World Cup appear to have backfired. Israeli diplomats have expressed disappointment at the way Israeli citizens have been treated and have called on FIFA and Qatar to ensure the safety and comfort of journalists.
The complaints were met with derision in the Israeli media, pointing to a long list of Palestinian journalists who have been targeted, arrested and killed by Israel, including Al Jazeera reporter Shirin Abu Akle.
This strong and growing Palestinian presence at the World Cup serves as a reminder to the global community that the situation in Palestine is intolerable and cannot be ignored. As the World Cup progresses, Palestinians are being killed, fled, deported, threatened and arrested with no solution in sight. A coalition of far-right parties has taken over the Israeli government, threatening further discrimination against Palestinians.
In the World Cup, Palestinians also saw an opportunity to strengthen their Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. While Ukraine and its supporters have pushed FIFA and UEFA (the Union of European Football Federations) to ban the Russian national team and soccer clubs from competing in their tournaments for the Russian occupation, Palestinian efforts to get the same treatment for Israel for its occupation of Palestinian land has so far failed.
However, the Palestinians and their allies managed to stage this boycott of FIFA’s biggest event in their own way: from the bottom up. It remains to be seen how this strong show of solidarity will translate into political action, and this World Cup will surely be remembered for a clear historic victory: Palestine vs. Israel 1-0.
Credit: Al Jazeera / Translation: Afzal Rahman
