Fans in Qatar insult and refuse to speak to Israeli reporters at the FIFA World Cup

Israeli journalists are being shunned at the World Cup in Qatar, with many fans yelling at them and refusing to conduct interviews once they find out which country they are from.

Ordinarily, Israelis can’t easily visit Qatar – but as part of a deal with FIFA, the Gulf state has agreed to let the country’s citizens in for the World Cup. 

Israeli journalists are being shunned at the World Cup in Qatar, with many fans yelling at them and refusing to conduct interviews once they find out which country they are from

Many journalists have been met with a frosty reception on the ground however, with footage circulating online of some hostile encounters between Israeli reporters and fans

Many Israeli journalists have been met with a frosty reception on the ground, however, with footage circulating online of some World Cup fans in Qatar insulting and refuse to speak to reporters.

In one video that’s been viewed six million times, a woman asks a reporter which channel he represents. When the reporter tells her he is Israeli, the woman holds up her hand and walks away.

In another clip, an Israeli foreign affairs reporter was yelled at by a fan wearing Saudi colours. ‘You are not welcome here. This is Qatar. This is our country. There is only Palestine; no Israel,’ he yelled.

In yet another heavily viewed exchange, an Israeli journalist approached three Lebanese fans.

‘Hi, how are you?’ he says in Arabic. ‘Are you Lebanese? I’m Israeli.’

The Lebanese group immediately turn their backs and walk away.

‘It’s Palestine,’ one of them yelled back as he walked away.

Many other videos show similar incidents, with fans refusing to speak to reporters and waving Palestinian flags.

During the Australia-Tunisia game on Saturday night, Tunisian fans hoisted a banner saying ‘Free Palestine,’ despite Qatar’s strict policy of not tolerating political protests at matches.

Jerusalem resident Michael Janekowitz, who is attending the tournament, told the Jerusalem Post that he doesn’t think Israelis are being targeted.

‘Qatar is very welcoming to the Israeli visitors,’ he said. ‘These Israeli journalists are going with magnifying glasses to find haters of Israel. Most of these Israel-bashers have come to the World Cup from outside of Qatar. They are being provoked by headline-seeking Israeli journalists.

During the Australia-Tunisia game on Saturday night, Tunisian fans hoisted a banner saying ‘Free Palestine,’ despite Qatar’s strict policy of not tolerating political protests at matches

‘Qatar has a population of about 3.3 million of whom only 300,000 are Qataris. The other threemillion are mostly workers from mainly India, Bangladesh, Kenya, Uganda, Philippines and Sudan,’ he added.

Qatar is the first Middle Eastern country to host the World Cup, but the nation has been hit with claims that the tournament is being used to ‘sportswash’ its reputation for human rights abuses.