Almost 15,000 Israelis have already purchases tickets for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and sports travel agencies estimate that 25,000-30,000 Israelis will travel to Qatar for the event. But Israel and Qatar still do not have formal diplomatic relations, and multiple reports have said that Qatar is supporting Hamas.
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Next week, the National Security Council is due to discuss the possible dangers for Israelis in Qatar, especially since Iranian officials are expected to attend the tournament and there is concern that attacks might be plotted against any Israelis present.
The Qatar World Cup is scheduled to begin on Nov. 21.
An official involved in the matter told Israel Hayom that "This is a complicated security challenge, that requires cooperation with all the Qatari authorities, something we aren't certain will happen.
"Only after our meeting will we understand if and how we can handle this challenge. So many Israelis are scheduled to be there – it's something that has never happened in a state with which we have unstable relations, to say the least."
The official said Israel hopes that the Qataris would want to please the tournament organizers and would comply with various requests to allow it to proceed without any problems.
"If we can't agree on what we need, it's possible [Israel] might issue a warning not to travel to Qatar. This is all pragmatic, we aren't playing games," he added.
One of the security pitfalls foreseen is hotels. Six months out from the tournament, Doha is short on hotel rooms for the World Cup. Qatar is discussing the possibility of having cruise ships anchor off its coast to provide some 4,000 additional rooms.
Even now, the website of the National Security Council's Counter-Terrorism Bureau is running a warning against unnecessary travel to Qatar: "In light of the public hostility toward Israel in Qatar and the presence there of terrorist actors, Israeli citizens who travel/visit Qatar are at risk."
Israel Police Maj. Gen. (ret.) David Tsur, who consulted for the organizers of the Atlanta and Athens Olympic Games as well as the Euro tournament in Ukraine, explained that the Israeli government would not accept responsibility to ensure the safety of any citizens who traveled to Qatar for the World Cup, because there would be no national delegation on the ground in Qatar.
"The moment the Counter-Terrorism Bureau puts out a travel warning, it's just a recommendation telling people to be more careful," Tsur tells Israel Hayom.
According to Tsur, "During the World Cup tournament, there is massive investment in security … The Qataris will do everything to ensure that their image isn't tarnished," he said.
The Qataris have promised to allow entry to visitors from every country during the World Cup, on the condition that the tourists have tickets to at least one match. This applies to Israelis, as well, whom Qatar does not usually allow in.
Nevertheless, Tsur said that Qatar is not a "friendly" destination for Israelis, and visitors should keep that in mind.
"Israelis should come to watch the matches, and not to stand out too much and be the typical Israelis abroad. The local rules should be respected, and of course, the local security forces should be respected," he said.
In related news, reports last week said that Qatar and Iran would be stepping up air and sea travel routes, and that Iran expected to host hundreds of thousands of soccer fans who would be attending the event. Iran and Qatar are geographically very close, and flights from some points in Iran to Qatar take as little as one hour.
Avi Cohen contributed to this report.
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