Bennett Has a Meeting with FIFA President to Talk Israeli World Cup Bid

In recent news, the Prime Minister of the State of Israel, Naftali Bennett, had a meeting with the President of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, on account of the latter visiting the country for the first time. During their meeting, Infantino talked about the possibility of the Jewish State being a co-host for the 2030 World Cup, along with a handful of its neighbors from the Middle East. One of these neighbors is the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Previously, the President had been questioned about a potential hosting bid for Israel. While giving a speech at the 10th Annual Jerusalem Post Conference, he hinted that nothing is impossible where the Jewish State is concerned. Infantino went on to reveal that he has been in contact with the relevant authorities in the country, especially after it signed a normalization agreement with the UAE. According to him, the agreement has made the possibility of co-hosting real and therefore, the option may be explored. 

While talking about the upcoming World Cup, the FIFA Head added that it will be hosted by Qatar, whereas the next one will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada together. The meeting between Infantino and the Prime Minister of the country was also attended by Steven Mnuchin, the Secretary of Treasury in the US, and David Friedman, the previous US Ambassador to Israel. The first gala held by the latter’s institution had been attended by the FIFA President. 

The head of FIFA had also scheduled a meeting with the Chairman of the Palestinian Football Association (PFA), Jibril Rajoub. However, the meeting was later on canceled by the Palestinian Authority soon after Infantino showed up at the gala. This was because the PA was of the opinion that the event was nothing more than a violation of their religion, Islam. In other news, Elazar Stern, the intelligence services minister, has decided to withdraw his candidacy for the Jewish Chairman, soon after a scandal broke out, alleging that he had been involved in the shredding of sexual harassment complaints during his time at the IDF. 

The Minister had been the preferred candidate from Yair Lapid for the position of the Chairman by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister. An interview had been arranged so Stern could answer questions asked by the chairmanship selection committee of the Jewish Agency, which comprises of 10 members. However, after the scandal, he backed out of the candidacy. 

According to Stern, the current situation is not ideal for him to present himself for the election as the Chairman of the Jewish Agency. He stated that he is opting out with clean hands and that his past actions are reflective of the kind of person he is. The intelligence minister claimed that he had apologized to anyone who had suffered as a result of his words and that he would continue to work to the best of his ability.