Among all European governments, there is little doubt that Spain has taken the clearest position on the conflict between Israel and Palestine, with continuous criticism of Netanyahu and unconditional support for the population of Gaza. It is for this reason that Palestinian supporters have made a clear choice ahead of the World Cup: they will follow, and continue to follow, De La Fuente’s team, who drew their first match against Cape Verde and then beat Saudi Arabia 4-0. The tone and reception of that second match, as El País notes in its report, is particularly revealing in relation to alignments within parts of the Palestinian community: despite a cultural inclination towards Arab teams, there were strong, very strong celebrations in Ramallah and beyond for Yamal, Oyarzabal (two goals), and Al-Tambakti’s own goal. The two dimensions, support for La Roja and the political stance of Pedro Sánchez’s government, sit closely together.
There are, of course, other factors shaping this alignment, sporting and otherwise. Real Madrid and Barcelona remain the most followed and most loved clubs among Palestinians, a historically rooted trend across the wider Middle East. At the same time, in relation to other Arab nations, Morocco’s closer ties with Israel and Saudi Arabia’s political proximity to the United States have cooled enthusiasm toward their respective national teams. Supporting Spain, in this context, becomes almost a default position.
Several testimonies collected by El País during the latest match underline how, “for this World Cup, this one in particular, Palestinians have no doubt” about who to support. Naturally, any group of fans following matches is never entirely uniform; some still back reigning world champions Argentina or even the Netherlands, often ties linked to previous tournaments, to Messi’s presence, or to the appeal those teams once carried. But at present, the Palestinian community feels a strong connection with La Roja and with the Spanish public itself: “In Spain, there are people who have been closest to us in recent years, as has not been the case in Arab countries,” one supporter told El País. At certain moments, for certain people, in certain historical circumstances, expressing closeness can mean a great deal—sometimes everything.