US embassy cable - 05DOHA1726

C O N F I D E N T I A L DOHA 001726 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR NEA/ARPI, NEA/RA AND NEA/IPA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/13/2015 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, IS, QA 
SUBJECT: SPORTS AS POLITICS: QATAR DONATES MILLIONS TO 
ARAB-ISRAELI TEAM 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Untermeyer for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (SBU) Summary. Qatar's donatation of $6m to build a soccer 
stadium in Sakhnin, a northern Israeli-Arab town, is the 
first by a Gulf state to Palestinians who hold Israeli 
citizenship. With its bequest, Qatar gains political and 
international mileage for supporting both Arabs and Israelis, 
as well as promoting peaceful coexistence in the region. End 
Summary. 
2. (U) The stadium to be built with Qatari funds is for the 
Bnei Sakhnin soccer team which is composed of seven Jewish, 
twelve Arab and four foreign players. Last year, Bnei Sakhnin 
became the first Arab-Israeli team to win the Israeli Cup. 
3. (C) The six million will be used to build the 13,000 seat 
"Doha Stadium." The Doha Stadium represents part of a larger 
project to be funded by Qatar. According to Mr. Qasem Radwan, 
Counselor at the Palestine Embassy in Qatar, the longer-term 
project is construction of a complete "sports city" in 
Sakhnin in coordination with the Qatari National Olympic 
Committee (QNOC). The donation comes in response to a request 
made four months ago by Dr. Ahmed El Taibi, an Arab member at 
the Israeli Knesset, to the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al 
Thani. Mr. Radwan states that El Taibi's appeal to the Emir 
came after Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's warning that the 
Bnei Sakhnin soccer team, although a premier team, would have 
difficulty maintaining their status without their own home 
stadium. 
4. (C) Announcement of the donation came during Dr. El 
Taibi's current visit to Qatar. El Taibi was meeting with the 
Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who is also 
Chairman of the QNOC, and other QNOC officials. While El 
Taibi openly stated that he viewed this donation as "more 
than a sports gesture toward more than one million Arabs 
suffering from discrimination inside Israel," the Government 
of Qatar, on the surface at least, seems to want to convey 
the opposite. The GOQ's attempt to "de-politicize" the 
bequest was apparent in that the announcement appeared in the 
sports section of all the local papers in Qatar as opposed to 
the front pages or domestic news sections. 
5. (C) Comment. Qatar's donation comes as no surprise to 
Palestinians and is viewed as another example of the GOQ's 
generous and continued support for Palestinians. This recent 
donation to Palestinians in Israel is also viewed as an 
attempt by Qatar to appear more balanced in its outreach and 
support of the Palestinians, but perhaps more importantly, to 
be seen by the international community as promoting peaceful 
coexistence in Israel. Bottom line, the donation represents a 
strategic and political win all around for Qatar. For the 
Palestinians, the donation further cements Qatar's unwavering 
support for them and seals their appreciation for the GOQ. In 
Israel, the gesture is viewed as responsive to PM Sharon and 
supportive of Israelis--Arabs and Jews--as both make up the 
players on the soccer team. End Comment. 
UNTERMEYER