Hamas revels in state visit
JERUSALEM – The Hamas regime in Gaza was buoyant this week after it hosted a foreign head of state for the first time since it seized control of the coastal strip in 2007.
The visit of the Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, on Tuesday came just five days after Hamas celebrated the one-year anniversary of the deal it reached with Israel to free Gilad Shalit.
Keen to remind residents of Gaza about the deal, Hamas held a mass rally, where leaders promised a similar operation to free more Palestinian prisoners.
When al-Thani arrived, a red carpet awaited him and his country’s flag flew on main roads. Hamas had waited for five years for a visit that could help convince its subjects it has the same kind of legitimacy as regimes in sovereign states, and try to present itself to the outside as a player on the world stage. His visit signified the “breaking of the political and economic blockade on the Strip”, Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh declared after welcoming him warmly.
Qatar is funding projects to reconstruct Gaza following Operation Cast Lead four years ago to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) was furious about the visit. President Mahmoud Abbas, who considers himself president of both the West Bank and Gaza, was angry Qatar did not invite him to receive al-Thani. Qatar was widely seen as making a calculated move to take sides in the long-running dispute between Hamas and the PA.
Israel condemned the visit. “It is strange that the ruler of Qatar should choose sides in the internal Palestinian conflict, and that his choice should favour the Hamas extremists who promote violence,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yigal Palmor told The AJN. “He has never provided such support to the PA, and is now contributing to tear apart Palestinians. His fortune will not be helping Palestinians and Israelis live in peace, but rather end up in the pockets of corrupt Hamas fat cats and reinforce those who make a living out of hatred and violence.”
A few hours before al-Thani arrived in Gaza, an Israeli soldier was wounded and left in a critical condition by an explosion by the Israel-Gaza border. A military spokesperson told The AJN that a device exploded next to the border fence, and said that an investigation is underway into the circumstances of the attack.
NATHAN JEFFAY
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