It seems that the biggest winner in terms of information in the past World Cup games is the Palestinian Authority.
Although it did not participate in it, the thousands of its flags that were raised in the first Arab World Cup, together with the general mobilization of the organizers, the fear of the Israeli media representatives and the fact that all the media bodies in the world dealt extensively with the issue - raised the Palestinian issue to the agenda of the biggest sports event in the world.
The fact that we in Israel did not understand the magnitude of the event and the intensity of the hatred towards us is one thing - but the fact that the Israeli tourists were afraid to speak Hebrew in large parts of Qatar during the World Cup is a settled fact.
It wasn't our party, and no one wanted us to come either.
One thing is clear, and it was clear even before the World Cup started: global sports will be dominated in the coming years by the Arab world.
The Saudis want to host the World Cup in 2030, and even the Winter Olympics.
To this should be added the fact that Qatar is plotting the Olympic Games in 2036, and until then it will try to take over the hosting of every possible competition.
Palestinian flag in the stands of Qatar.
The same image in quite a few games, photo: Getty Images
While Israel did not participate in the last games, one can only imagine what awaits the Israeli delegations when the Olympic Games come to Qatar.
Palestinian flags will be the least of our problems.
Where is the Israeli propaganda?
The question is, of course, what is the Israeli propaganda going to do now, and if it has anything to do at all.
The sports field is another place where Israel loses in the informational arena, one of many.
The small budgets that go to Israel's most of the time failed advocacy certainly do not go to the sports world out of a lack of understanding and ignorance related to the power of sports - a field in Israel that interests politicians only when there are international achievements, and most of the time it is seen as a marginal matter for them.
This summer, Israel's young soccer teams will go to the World Youth Championship in Indonesia, and to the European Under-21 Championship in Georgia and Romania.
The winds from the last World Cup will still blow - certainly in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world.
Israeli athletes continue to suffer boycotts in their individual disciplines, and as always - we are a thorn in the side of the major organizations: the Olympic Committee, FIFA and UEFA.
Now, when large parts of them are already controlled by Qatar, the Israeli sports arena remains helpless.
the moroccans
The flag of Palestine is legally the flag of Morocco, photo: EPA
Israeli propaganda in the field of sports remains the domain of crazy talkers.
Sylvan Adams brings international sports competitions here with the aim of improving Israel's image in the world.
The chairman of the International Judo Association, Marius Wieser, is a friend of Israel and helps to bring competitions here. But this is not an orderly change of the country itself.
Those who intend to abandon the sports arena, and leave our sportsmen and women exposed in the tower, can do so - but the bottom line, the screams of the "fruit of Palestine" heard well in the past month on all the television stations in the world will affect our lives here, and not only in sports, in everything.
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