StandWithUs urges Fifa to ensure Israelis can attend 2022 World Cup in Qatar
The non-profit stepped up pressure on the football association to ensure Israeli fans will be allowed into the Gulf state
A nonprofit stepped up pressure on FIFA this week to ensure Israeli fans wishing to attend the football World Cup in 2022 in Qatar will be allowed into the Gulf state.
Since Qatar was awarded the right to host the tournament in 2010, it has pledged to welcome Israeli fans and supply kosher food to observant Jews.
Hassan Al Thawadi, head of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup committee, told the New York Times in 2017 that it would welcome Israeli visitors. “Everyone is welcome. It’s a simple answer: everybody is welcome,” he told the newspaper.
But Qatar, which does not recognise Israel, has yet to issue clear travel guidance. To date, the Jewish state is not featured in Qatar’s online list of 244 nationalities and territories eligible for a visa.
The pro-Israel nonprofit StandWithUs urged FIFA in an open letter on Tuesday to ensure Qatar will issue visas to Israeli visitors during the tournament.
“We call upon FIFA not to score an own goal and to uphold their code of ethics, which is premised on protecting international football from ‘illegal, immoral or unethical’ practices,” said Roz Rothstein, CEO and co-founder of the organisation.
“If Qatar is allowed to ban Israeli fans from entering this will reflect negatively on FIFA, which has made inclusion a primary hallmark of their ethos,” Rothstein added.
A report published last month critical of Qatar’s bid to host the World Cup called on the country to urgently clarify its position on the issue.
The report, written by the consultancy firm Cornerstone Global Associates, stressed that banning fans on the basis of nationality would breach FIFA’s code of ethics – which was adopted last year.
A FIFA spokesperson said: “As both FIFA and Qatar have said on many occasions, everyone will be welcome to travel to Qatar and attend the FIFA World Cup 2022.
“FIFA and the local hosts are working to ensure that the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 will bring together people from all over the world in a spirit of celebration, respect and fair play.”
Qatar’s supreme committee for delivery and legacy was contacted for comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
