The Emir of Qatar entered the Gaza Strip yesterday for a visit that broke the isolation of its Islamist rulers, Hamas, but disappointed Israel and mainstream Palestinian leaders in the West Bank.
Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani crossed into Gaza from Egypt at the head of a large delegation on what is billed as a humanitarian visit to inaugurate a US$250 million reconstruction project.
It was the first trip by a head of state to Gaza since 1999 and the emir was given a red-carpet welcome by Gaza Strip Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, who declared it a historic day for the enclave, which backs on to the Mediterranean.
Photo: AFP
Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hamas’ archrival, said he hoped the visit would not undermine efforts to rebuild Palestinian unity or signal approval for a separate Palestinian territory.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman said it was “astounding” that Qatar was taking sides, noting that the emir “has never dignified the PA [Palestinian Authority] with a visit.”
Hamas seized control of the enclave in 2007 after a brief battle with the armed wing of Abbas’ Fatah movement. It refuses to renounce violence or to recognize Israel’s right to exist and it is ostracized by the West as a terrorist organization.
Haniyeh denies Hamas is seeking to create its own state in the tiny enclave, which is under partial blockade by Israel, with Egypt helping to enforce the Jewish states’ restrictions.
The emir and his large delegation were greeted by a Hamas honor guard and Palestinian and Qatari flags decorated the route on the main road north to the city of Gaza, a key highway that Qatar plans to rebuild.
His visit coincided with another round in the low-level conflict between Israel and Hamas. An Israeli officer was badly injured by an explosion on the Gaza border and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised a “strong response,” which often comes in the form of air strikes.
The emir was due to make a public appearance in one of Gaza’s largest soccer stadiums and security arrangements have been in place for days ahead of the visit, seen by Hamas as a victory after five years of isolation.
Western-allied Gulf Arab states are trying to lure Hamas away from its alliance with Iran, whose nuclear energy program has raised the prospect of a war with Israel.
The emir has met Israeli leaders in the past and is working hard to boost the diplomatic clout of his small country. He has also previously sought to mediate between Hamas and Fatah to end the divisions that have weakened the Palestinian cause.
Hamas says his trip would mark the beginning of the end of Israel’s blockade policy.
PHISHING: The con might appear convincing, as the scam e-mails can coincide with genuine messages from Apple saying you have run out of storage For a while you have been getting messages from Apple saying “your iCloud storage is full.” They say you have exceeded your storage plan, so documents are no longer being backed up, and photos you take are not being uploaded. You have been resisting Apple’s efforts to get you to pay a minimum of ￡0.99 (US$1.33) a month for more storage, but it seems that you cannot keep putting off the inevitable: You have received an e-mail which says your iCloud account has been blocked, and your photos and videos would be deleted very soon. To keep them you need
The Israeli military has demolished entire villages as part of its invasion of south Lebanon, rigging homes with explosives and razing them to the ground in massive remote detonations. The Guardian reviewed three videos posted by the Israeli military and on social media, which showed Israel carrying out mass detonations in the villages of Taybeh, Naqoura and Deir Seryan along the Israel-Lebanon border. Lebanese media has reported more mass detonations in other border villages, but satellite imagery was not readily available to verify these claims. The demolitions came after Israeli Minister of Defense Israel Katz called for the destruction of
A US YouTuber who caused outrage for filming himself kissing a statue commemorating Korean wartime sex slaves has been sentenced to six months in prison, a court in Seoul said yesterday. Johnny Somali, 25, gained notoriety several years ago for recording himself doing a series of provocative stunts in South Korea and Japan, and streaming them on platforms such as YouTube and Twitch. South Korean authorities indicted Somali — whose real name is Ramsey Khalid Ismael — in 2024 on public order violations and obstruction of business, and banned him from leaving the country. “The court has sentenced him to six months in
The death toll from a shooting in western Afghanistan rose to 11 on Saturday, after gunmen targeted civilians at a picnic spot in Herat, the provincial authority said. Bullet marks were visible on a wall of the Sayed Mohammad Agha Shia shrine, while bloodstains marked a blanket abandoned at the scene. “Eleven people have been recorded dead and eight others wounded from Friday’s incident, with the condition of two of the wounded reported as critical,” Herat’s information office said in a statement. The update raises a toll of seven killed provided on Friday by the Afghan Ministry of Interior Affairs
RSS