“Israelis” Asked to “Hide Their Identity” During Qatar World Cup

By Staff, Agencies

The “Israeli” entity asked its settlers traveling to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup this week to be “low profile” and to show themselves as “least visibly ‘Israeli’” as possible.

The warning came as part of a campaign by the “Israeli” entity’s Foreign Ministry, launched on Wednesday, to inform soccer fans across the occupied Palestinian territories about the laws and customs of the Muslim country.

The campaign website, in Hebrew and Arabic, describes the potential pitfalls awaiting “Israeli” tourists in the Gulf state.

It asks “Israelis” to hide any symbol of “Israel” – presumably a reference to “Israeli” flags and the "Star of David".

“The Iranian team will participate in the World Cup and we estimate that tens of thousands of fans will follow it, and there will be other fans from the Gulf countries with which we do not have diplomatic relations,” said Lior Haiat, a senior “Israeli” diplomat.

“Reduce your presence and conceal your ‘Israeli’ identity for your personal safety,” Haiat warned while addressing “Israeli” fans.

The face of the government's campaign for a “Safe World Cup” for “Israelis” is Tal Ben Haim, an “Israeli” soccer star and former “Israeli” team captain.

In a video presentation aimed at “Israelis” departing Ben Gurion Airport for Doha, Ben Haim explained the legal and cultural differences between Qatar and the “Israeli” entity to ensure their safety while visiting the Gulf region.

“It is a great privilege to take part in the national information effort, to help guide the behavior of ‘Israelis’ in Qatar, with which we do not have diplomatic relations,” Ben Haim said in the government's announcement of the campaign.

“We are all very excited about the World Cup, but as it was said in the campaign, the laws there are slightly different, and there are cultural differences. As the former captain of the ‘national’ team, it was natural for me to convey a ‘national’ message, and I am happy to do so in the context of two things I love so much – football and the ‘State’ of ‘Israel’.”