Qatar’s Sheikh Hamad Breaks the Political Siege on Gaza

The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, became the first world leader to visit Gaza since Israel and the West imposed its siege on the strip. In effect the Emir broke that siege in the political sense.

The Emir also broke the economic siege on Gaza, announcing an investment worth $400 million to rebuild Gaza from the destruction afflicted by Israel in the 2008-09 massacre. The investment includes the building of a whole new town of residential apartments and reconstruction of a hospital, the foundation of which Sheikh Hamad and Sheikha Mozah laid on their visit.

Now, say what you, justifiably, may about Qatar’s pro US alignment, the Yanks and the Israelis are not very pleased at all with the Emir’s visit. Some in our own camp are criticising this visit too, some of these people are those that support Iran and the Syrian regime, whose leaders incidentally in all these years never visited Gaza once. These supposed vanguards of anti-western policy didn’t break the siege on Gaza; it was pro-western Hamad that has broken the economic and political siege of Gaza and we should not forget that.

Although we hope this is not a flash in the pan, and the Qataris continue to play a positive role for the Palestinian people and move away from their pro-western alignment to a position which benefits the entire Arab world.