World Cup 2022: the first commercial flight between Israel and Qatar carried out

First commercial flight between Israel and Qatar this Sunday, November 20, operated by the Cypriot company Tus Airways.

© REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Text by: RFI Follow

2 mins

This Sunday, November 20, the first commercial flight between Israel and Qatar, two countries without diplomatic relations, left Tel Aviv for Doha, as part of a special program for the World Cup. of football.

Advertising

Read more

On November 18, the Cypriot airline Tus Airways received the green light from the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority to operate six direct flights from Tel Aviv to Doha and six others in the opposite direction during the 2022 World Cup.

This Sunday morning, the flight therefore left Ben Gurion airport in Tel-Aviv: "

History is being written with this first direct flight between Tel-Aviv and Doha

", declared Lior Hayat, the spokesperson for the Israeli diplomacy, because it is "

the result of negotiations between the Jewish state and Fifa

"

Israel asked its nationals "

to respect local traditions and laws in order to avoid any problems during their stay in Qatar

", he added.

"

The most special sporting event ever

"

Hadar Segal, a 35-year-old Israeli on the flight, said he had tickets to matches between England and Iran, Israel's number one enemy, and Argentina and Saudi Arabia, which is not does

not have diplomatic relations with Israel: "

I cannot travel to these countries to see their matches, meet their supporters there, so this will be the most special sporting event for me

", he testified before the flight takes off.

Qatar was the first Gulf state to establish trade relations with Israel in 1996. This led to an official visit by then Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.

But in 2000, the Jewish state's trade office in Qatar was closed and relations between the two countries were finally severed in 2009, against the backdrop of the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

► To read also: World 2022: Qatar, a tiny emirate that sees and sees itself big

(

With

AFP)

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

  • World Cup 2022

  • Qatar

  • Israel

  • Soccer