2022 World Cup: Palestine in the spotlight

LHe Palestine may not participate in this football World Cup, but its flag and its keffiyeh, the traditional headscarf, was very present throughout the competition. Arab supporters celebrated the exceptional performance of the Moroccan election and popular attachment to the Palestinian cause with equal enthusiasm, in a new demonstration of a deep sense of Arab unity, regardless of bilateral conflicts and leaders’ calculations.

Qatar has done nothing to discourage such momentum, allowing symbols in Palestinian colors at the entrance to stadiums and broadcasting pro-Palestinian statements on Al-Jazeera. It was during the World Cup that the Qatar Channel took the International Criminal Court to death Shireen Abu Akley, its star Palestinian-American journalist, was killed by the Israeli army. In May, on the West Bank. But the host country would be hard-pressed to inspire such a scale of movement, with its borders so vastly overcrowded.

Palestine is at the heart

Enthusiasm for the Palestinian cause feeds an Arab spirit that transcends, at least symbolically, the state structure. This fact is misunderstood in Europe, which, while united and unified, rarely sees supporters of one national team rallying by default for another. However, as one Kuwaiti fan put it, ” Today I was in Morocco, a few days ago, When they beat Argentina, I was Saudi”.

Buoyed by Saudi Arabia’s surprise win over Messi’s (Argentina) side, the Arabs were then rattled by Tunisia’s victory, before falling to Lions of Atlas (Morocco’s side) in the group stages. During the Tunisia-France match on November 30 (1-0), a spectator tackled Infiltrating the stadium with the Palestinian flagto the cheers of the crowd “Palestinian, Palestinian”. As for Moroccan supporters, one of their songs has a more militant tone: “Our beloved Palestine, where are the Arabs, are they sleeping? We will not abandon Gaza, even if you are far away, O Rafah, O Ramallah, the Arab world is sick. »

The solidarity shown with Palestine, far from being an empty check on the regimes in place, is merely a narrative. This is especially true for the Moroccan team, who have been crowned champions of the entire Arab world during this World Cup. Israel, whose Atlas Lions champion has a large community of Moroccan descent, has congratulated Morocco at every stage of the tournament. But the Moroccan selection marked its exploits against Spain, defeated on penalties, on December 6, then against Portugal (1-0), four days later, posing jointly with the Palestinian flag.

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