Soccer game (illustrative)
Soccer game (illustrative)Flash 90

A demonstration in London Sunday outside the Qatari Embassy demanded that the sponsors of the World Cup change the venue for the 2022 games from Qatar to another location. In Israel, Yesh Atid MK Yifat Kariv has taken a special interest in the issue, and is leading Israeli activity to demand a venue change.

Speaking to Arutz Sheva, Kariv said that while Sunday's demonstration was organized by former Israelis and Jewish residents of London, more people in the UK and throughout Europe were becoming interested in the matter. "I came out a month ago calling for the cancellation of the World Cup in Qatar, and it spawned a worldwide interest," she said.

The only way to prevent the competition from taking place in Qatar is tomarshal world opinion to move the games. She herself appealed to the President of FIFA, the games' sponsor, to move them to another country. Surprisingly, she said, she got a response very quickly, which said that the FIFA executive committee would discuss the matter next month.

Kariv asked the Israeli public to get involved by sending letters to FIFA in order to place pressure on the organization before the discussion; the more such letters, the greater their effect, she said. Members of parliaments in governments around the world, including American Congressmen who are not Jewish, have taken an interest in the matter and want to see the games moved as wellKariv believes the movement will gain momentum and produce results.

Qatar has been using its oil wealth to punch above its weight, vying with regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and Iran for influence in the Middle East by funding a range of insurgent and terrorist groups in Syria. Among other things, Qatar is the leading supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose Palestinian branch is Hamas.