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Israeli wall a backdrop for world cup passion

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A concrete barrier isolates Palestinians living in Bethlehem. But one Palestinian restaurant owner is putting it to use as a projection screen for World Cup broadcasts. The World’s Matthew Bell has the story. (Photo: Matthew Bell)

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MARCO WERMAN: This weekend’s World Cup final will draw a massive TV audience around the globe. Organizers say something like a billion people will be watching. Some of those viewers will be Palestinians in the West Bank who’ve been watching World Cup games in an unusual way. Here’s the story from The World’s Matthew Bell in Bethlehem.

MATTHEW BELL:  If Palestinians want to see World Cup soccer with commentary in their native language, they have one option. That’s Al Jazeera Sport. It’s a pricey option here. And the satellite channel’s signal has been less than stellar at times during World Cup games. There were complaints so what some Palestinian viewers did was simply switch to a cheaper alternative. They picked up Israeli TV with play-by-play in Hebrew. This weekend though, Al Jazeera’s signal was crystal clear for the Spain vs. Paraguay match. A few hundred soccer fans gathered next to Bethlehem’s famous Church of the Nativity to watch the game on a huge outdoor screen. Down the hill from the church, a smaller group of fans sat and watched at a restaurant. They kicked back at outdoor tables, smoked nargilas, fruity tobacco in water pipes, and sipped tea or beer. By the middle of the first half, every seat was taken. And everybody was staring up at a big projection screen hanging on a giant concrete wall. The restaurant is called The Wall Lounge, because it sits right next to a section of what Israel refers to as its “separation barrier” with the West Bank. The Israelis see the wall in Bethlehem as a necessary security measure against terrorist attacks. But the restaurant owner, Joseph Hasbon, who goes by Joey, is like most Palestinians. He says the wall is a disaster.

JOSEPH HASBON:  You know, as you see, the wall is in front of our restaurant. We used to have nice views, like Bethlehem University, the hills of Beit Jala. But not anymore, we’re trying to take from that big negative thing to do a small positive thing.

BELL: Hasbon doesn’t really want to talk about the political symbolism of using the wall as a prop during the World Cup. I’m a businessman, he says. It’s about creating buzz. But some of his customers are more willing. Sa’ad drove from a village just outside Bethlehem to meet friends here and watch the game. She says there’s an element of political resistance to what they’re doing here.

SA’AD: We want to show the world that in spite of the separation wall, in spite of all the bad political situation that we are living in, we are still alive and the Palestinian audience are very educated, especially in the sports. They love sports. And even if they put a huge wall, a separation wall, we are still here.

BELL: So who are the Palestinians pulling for to win the World Cup? There were lots of Brazilian flags flying around here until Brazil was eliminated. Joey Hasbon says that’s because people here associate football with Brazil and they love the team’s style of play. Nonetheless, Hasbon put his money on another South American team.

HASBON: I thought that you know, like Argentina was gonna go to the final, but they disappoint me.

BELL: Luckily, he says, he didn’t lose too much money betting on Argentina. And business during this World Cup has been good. For The World, I’m Matthew Bell, Bethlehem.

WERMAN: The World Cup is also the focus of our latest Talking Travel podcast with Lonely Planet. We look at what hosting the globe’s premier soccer event will mean for tourism in South Africa. Visit TheWorld.o-r-g/travel to find out how to subscribe.

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