Israel is urging its citizens traveling to the FIFA World Cup this week to be less visibly Israeli.
The unprecedented influx of thousands of Israeli fans descending on Doha for the first World Cup in the Middle East has raised fears of an embarrassing diplomatic crisis between the countries with no formal diplomatic relations.
Israel’s warning is part of a Foreign Ministry campaign, launched Wednesday, to educate the nation’s soccer fans about laws and customs in the conservative Muslim country.
The campaign website, in Hebrew and Arabic, outlines a potential minefield awaiting Israeli tourists — who don’t have a reputation for being discreet — in Qatar, a country that criminalizes homosexuality, bans drugs and restricts alcohol consumption.
Like many Gulf Arab citizens, including those in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, which normalized relations with Israeli in 2020, Qataris have a history of support to the Palestinian cause.
