For the first time since the start of the Gaza blockade in 2007 and four years after Israel’s war on the tiny strip of land, Qatari Emir Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani recently visited the area in an ostensibly humanitarian gesture, which was actually meant to improve his image and make it appear that he is a supporter of the Palestinian cause.
The trip, which was apparently coordinated with the Israeli security forces, was criticized inside and outside the region, although officials in Gaza, including Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, expressed appreciation of Hamad’s move and called him a “supporter of the Palestinian resistance” and the “leader of the Arab world.”
However, since the start of Israel’s latest onslaught on the civilian population of Gaza, many people in the region have asked: What exactly is the Qatari emir’s position on the resistance and how will he respond to Israel’s atrocities in Gaza?