Qatari emir to visit Gaza Tuesday: Hamas

AFP, 21 October 2012

Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani in September2012 

(AFP/File, Emmanuel Dunand)

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories — Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani will visit Gaza on Tuesday in the first such visit by an Arab leader since Hamas took over in 2007, sources close to the ruling Islamist movement said.

"The emir of Qatar will arrive in Gaza on Tuesday," a source close to the Hamas government told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"Tomorrow (Monday), a Qatari delegation will come to Gaza to prepare the programme and discuss details of the visit."

Earlier, the Shihab news agency which is close to Hamas quoted an unnamed official from the movement as saying: "The emir of Qatar will come to Gaza on Tuesday to open several projects in the strip."

It will be the first visit to the Palestinian enclave by an Arab head of state since the territory was occupied by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War.

The emir will also be one of Gaza's most high-profile international visitors since Hamas ousted the rival Fatah movement of Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in June 2007.

The official Qatari news agency QNA reported that the emir telephoned Abbas on Sunday to discuss bilateral ties and also received a call from Hamas premier Ismail Haniya for talks that centred on the Palestinian situation.

Abbas confirmed the conversation in a statement, saying he received a call from the Qatari emir saying he intended to visit Gaza and Qatari development projects there.

"President Abbas welcomes Qatari efforts in Gaza," the official WAFA news agency reported, stressing "the need to preserve the unity of the Palestinian territories and put an end to the division" between Fatah and Hamas.

Qatar in February brokered talks between Abbas and Hamas's exiled political chief Khaled Meshaal, who has shifted his political base from war-torn Damascus to Doha, in a bid to promote Palestinian unity.

Last month, Mohammed al-Emadi, Qatar's envoy to the Hamas-run territory, said Doha was to invest $254 million (195 million euros) in rebuilding Gaza.

He said the project would involve the construction of roads, housing and infrastructure, as well as agricultural development.

On Saturday, Emadi told AFP that Cairo had given permission for all the necessary building materials to enter Gaza through the Rafah crossing with Egypt.

Over the past year, diplomatic ties between Gaza and Qatar have warmed.

In January this year, Haniya paid his first visit to the Gulf emirate.

Several months later, Qatar delivered 30 million litres of fuel in a bid to ease a chronic energy crisis in the territory, which is still subjected to a partial Israeli blockade.

In recent days, Qatari flags have appeared on the streets of Gaza alongside pictures of Haniya with the Qatari emir which were taken when he visited Doha.

Huge hoardings have also been put up, showing posters reading: "Thank you Qatar for keeping your promises. 

Related Articles:

Qatar emir calls for Palestinian unity on visit to Gaza

Qatar emir pledges $400m on landmark visit to Gaza

Qatar ruler begins landmark visit to Gaza


"Healing the Military Energies in our family Tree" – Jun 13, 2011 (Kryon channelled by David Brown)

“ … There’s much violence and anger throughout the world; when we look at the Middle East, we can see that changes are coming there. The West has a lot of power over the Middle East, but that power will begin to dissolve. The Muslim people of this world will begin to have their own power, and their own prosperity, and they will begin to disconnect from the Western World. This disconnection doesn’t have to be violent as violence only happens when somebody hangs onto what doesn’t belong to them....

... What Military Energy means if we use an analogy: it would be like putting grinding paste into the oil of your motor car. Once you release these energies you will begin to feel lighter as you disconnect from this reality, and, you will find it easier and easier to release any other negative emotions. Military Energies are the core of all your problems...."