Qatar has agreed to allow special direct flights from Israel that will be open to both Israeli and Palestinian fans for the World Cup, FIFA announced on Thursday.
Today's historic announcement provides a platform to improve relations across the Middle East," said Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, world football's governing body.
A FIFA statement said the flights would be subject to "Israel's security requirements and operational capabilities" and comments made by Israel and Qatar, which do not have diplomatic relations, made clear their divisions.
Diplomatic sources said more than 10,000 Palestinian and Israeli fans have secured tickets for the 29-day tournament.
But in 2000, Israel's trade office in Qatar was closed down by authorities and relations between the two countries were permanently severed in 2009 over an Israeli military operation in Gaza.
Qatar insisted that its stance on Israel is unaltered.

Source - NDTV

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