Israeli TV will broadcast the 2018 FIFA World Cup with Arabic commentary for the first time, offering free coverage of world football's "most prestigious competition to the Jewish state's Arabic-speaking neighbors," according to Eytan Halon of the JERUSALEM POST. The Israel Foreign Ministry's Arabic-language Facebook page announced the Israel Broadcasting Corp. (Kan) will broadcast the games via satellite in Arabic for free, "thereby breaking a Qatari monopoly on World Cup coverage in Arabic that has proved unaffordable for many in the Middle East." According to online newspaper Egypt Independent, Kan purchased the broadcasting rights for approximately $7.8M and will rival beIN Sports' TV coverage of the World Cup in countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. Although one Egyptian TV commentator described the Israeli move as a welcome "slap in the face for Qatar" over the weekend, "underlining the ongoing diplomatic crisis between the two Arab countries," others were "less impressed." Egyptian TV anchor Ahmed Mussa "warned viewers of the danger that Israel could transmit messages to the Arab world through its broadcasts." Mussa said, "There's no difference -- Israel and Qatar are both enemies for me" (JERUSALEM POST, 3/13). The TIMES OF ISRAEL reported though Egypt qualified for the tournament, "along with Morocco, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia, the country did not purchase the rights to broadcast the games" (TIMES OF ISRAEL, 3/13). THE JEWISH CHRONICLE reported the move is "unlikely to be welcomed by beIN Sports." It is "unclear how much of the Middle East would be covered by the channel's transmission range, but satellite dishes in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt can routinely pick up Israeli broadcasts" (THE JEWISH CHRONICLE, 3/13).
