A Qatari official on Thursday told Reuters that his country had warned Israel that any “escalation” would result in the cancellation of the agreement to have direct charter flights between Israel and Qatar during the World Cup.
According to the agreement, announced earlier on Thursday, Israelis and Palestinian Arabs would be allowed to attend matches at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, which gets under way on November 20.
Direct charter flights will be temporarily operated between Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv and Hamad International Airport in Doha by an airline with existing landing rights in Qatar for the duration of the FIFA World Cup, subject to Israel's security requirements and operational capabilities. Visitors will need a registered Hayya (the fan ID required for entry into Qatar during the tournament) and have a valid flight ticket to travel to and from Qatar.
Consular services for Israeli citizens will be provided in coordination with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs through a designated privately-operated international travel company based in Doha. Palestinians will have access to consular services at the Palestinian embassy in Doha.
Commenting on the agreement, the Qatari official said it does not change Qatar's stance on normalizing relations with Israel which is linked to Palestinian statehood.
"This is part of Qatar's commitment to FIFA's hosting requirements and it should not be politicized," the official told Reuters. "Because of this agreement, Palestinians will now be able to enjoy the first World Cup in the Arab and Muslim world."
The Qatari official later added that Doha had conveyed to Israel "that any escalation in Jerusalem, Gaza or West Bank during (the World Cup) will risk the cancellation of the agreement including the direct flights."
Qatar has in recent years had an ongoing engagement with Israel over aid to Gaza. Qatar has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to pay for electricity in the Strip, build new roads and hospitals, help Hamas cover the salaries of its civil servants and provide monthly stipends to poor families.
Israel has approved the transfer of the Qatari money and has come under fire for doing so as Hamas continues to regularly fire rockets at Israeli towns in the south.
Despite these engagements, Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, ruled out the prospect of his country normalizing relations with Israel earlier this year.
In an interview with Axios in February, Al Thani said that Qatar had previously maintained ties with Israel "when there was prospects for peace" with the Palestinian Arabs, but that his country "lost hope" after the 2008-2009 Gaza War.
He added that Qatar continues its "working relationship" to help the Palestinian people, but that it is difficult to envision joining the Abraham Accords "in the absence of a real commitment to a two-state solution."