Doha: Israeli journalist refused to reveal his identity to a Qatari policeman during the ride on a golf cart, video of which have been widely shared on social media.
Hebrew channel Kan published a video clip of its correspondent, Eli Ohana, claiming to a Qatari policeman that he had come from Portugal to cover the world championship.
The video showed the Qatari policeman moved back when Ohana first told him that he came from Israel, where he said to him, “Are you sure that you are Israeli? You are joking!”, so that Ohana was quick to say that he was joking and that he came from Portugal.
The Qatari policeman said to Ohana, “If you were really from Israel, I would have dropped you here and turned back.”
Israeli journalist said, “I felt threatened. This is not what I came to Qatar for. This event may happen again.”
The Hebrew media pointed to many difficulties that the Israelis face in Qatar, especially the media trying to cover the World Cup.
One of the Israeli correspondents expressed his dissatisfaction with the positions of the Arab masses who refuse to give him television interviews, during the live broadcast of his channel.
He added, “When I introduce myself as an Israeli, some of them answer: Thank you. Why thank you?! Others dealt with me in a bad way.”
He explained, “Israel has signed normalization agreements with 4 Arab countries in recent years, but it turned out that the majority of Arab peoples do not like the fact that we are here.”
Moav Vardy, KAN’s foreign affairs reporter, was yelled at by a Saudi fan, who told him that “You are not welcome here, this is Qatar, this is our country, there is only Palestine, no Israel.”
Earlier in the day, the Grand Mufti of Oman, Sheikh Ahmed bin Hamad al-Khalili, expressed his appreciation for those who refused to deal with the occupying Zionists when they met them in the State of Qatar, during the FIFA World Cup.
Al-Khalili said, in a tweet on his official Twitter account, that the estimate “includes Qataris and other Arab and Muslim brothers who did not accept the flattery forbidden by Sharia, and declared to them that they are occupiers who have no right at all.”
The Grand Mufti of Oman added that these stances “indicate that the nation is still doing well.”
Al-Khalili’s speech comes after the Israeli journalists encountered great estrangement from the Arabs during their attempts to hold meetings on the sidelines of the World Cup in Qatar.
Many Arabs refused to deal with the Israelis and reminded them that they are occupiers and that there is no such thing as “Israel”, but there is occupied Palestine.
The Arabs raised Palestinian flags in the face of the Israeli press and in front of its cameras everywhere, while Israeli journalists confirmed that restaurants and taxi drivers refused to transport them or deal with them.
The Qatar World Cup witnessed popular and official bias towards the Palestinian cause, as Palestinian flags were raised in many matches and in the streets, and the tournament organizers placed badges bearing the Palestinian flag.
