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Abbas thanks Qatar for using World Cup to ‘present Palestinian cause’
Morocco's players celebrate with a Palestinian flag at the end of the Qatar 2022 World Cup round of 16 football match between Morocco and Spain at the Education City Stadium in Al-Rayyan, west of Doha, on December 6, 2022. (Glyn KIRK / AFP)
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas thanks Qatar and its emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, for hosting a “successful” World Cup and using it to promote the Palestinian cause.
The tournament “brought pride to our souls and the souls of our Arab nations,” Abbas says according to the official PA news site WAFA. Abbas also thanks Qatar for the “support provided during this occasion to Palestine, presenting the Palestinian cause to the world in an unprecedented way.”
Qatar, which has no ties with Israel, nevertheless allowed Israeli fans to enter for the games in an unprecedented move. Palestinian flags were a common site at the World Cup, in particular among fans of the Moroccan team.
