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Palestinian Ambassador to the U.N. Riyad Mansour has praised the outpouring of solidarity for the state at the ongoing FIFA 2022 World Cup in Qatar, saying that the tournament's pro-Palestine vibe has dealt a "decisive blow" to Israel.
One manifestation has been the Palestine flags and banners emblazoned with "Free Palestine" seen in the stands at stadiums.
Mansour said: "The World Cup in Qatar dealt a decisive blow to Israel's illusions. The winner of this World Cup is already known. It is Palestine, with its flag carried by people from every corner of the Arab world and the rest of the globe. Present in every match and in people's chants.
“The winner of this World Cup is already known, it is Palestine.”
— Middle East Eye (@MiddleEastEye) December 2, 2022
Riyad Mansour, Palestine ambassador and permanent observer to the UN, says the World Cup has dealt a “decisive blow to Israel’s illusions” following an overwhelmingly pro-Palestine vibe at the tournament. pic.twitter.com/RJRqICdwvr
"Ask Israeli journalists at the World Cup and they will tell you that nothing can normalize Israeli occupation. And nothing can uproot Palestine from the hearts and minds of people."
The ambassador also condemned a series of normalization deals in 2020 and 2021 between Israel and three Arab states, Morocco, the UAE and Bahrain.
Morocco defender Jawad El Yamiq was seen holding up a Palestinian flag on the field after his team's victory over Canada on Thursday, which has been reported as being in protest at Morocco signing a deal with Israel.
Fans have been seen sporting keffiyehs, one of the most prolific symbols of Palestinian resistance, and in the 48th minute of Morocco's game against Belgium, a "Free Palestine" flag was unfurled by the African team's fans, with reference to the 1948 Nakba, which refers to the permanent displacement of Palestinians by the creation of the state of Israel.
The same thing occurred during Tunisia's game with Australia, with Palestinian flags being held among the African supporters.
A Tunisian fan also ran on to the field during his country's game with France, carrying a Palestine flag with an inscription in support of the Arab state.
Mira Al Hussein, an Emirati sociology researcher at Oxford University, told Time that the solidarity shows a unity that is not always reflected by the politics of the Middle East.
She told the media outlet: "What they did really was just show the world how unanimous the Arab street is.
"It just shows that Arab nationalism and pan-Arabism did not die with Gamal Abdel Nasser as most nation states would like us to believe."
Former Egyptian president Nasser is seen as an iconic figure of pan-Arab nationalism.
Newsweek previously reported that Israeli TV reporters have been told they are "not welcome" in Qatar, with many fans refusing to speak to them once it becomes apparent that they are covering the World Cup for Israeli television.
A thread of World Cup football fans refusing to speak to isreali channels pic.twitter.com/N7NOoZXYPm
— Richard Medhurst (@richimedhurst) November 27, 2022
An independent British-Syrian journalist, Richard Medhurst, posted a number of videos on Twitter, which he titled: "A thread of World Cup football fans refusing to speak to Israeli channels."
In a number of tense confrontations reporters are told, live on air, that Israel "doesn't exist."
Moav Vardi, the head of the foreign news desk at Israeli public broadcaster Kan 11, was confronted live on air as he spoke to a fan after Saudi Arabia's defeat by Poland.
He was told by the fan: "There is no Israel. Go please. You are not welcome here. This is Qatar, this is our country—you are not welcome here. There is only Palestine. There is no Israel."
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