From the inspiration of the homeland, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani: Hatami of temperament and Palestinian passion

During my work as a political advisor to the Prime Minister or as an undersecretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2006-2011), I had the opportunity to meet with the Qatari leadership, and my participation in cabinet meetings gave me a lot to see the efforts, gifts and positions of many countries that were dealing with us.. There is no doubt that Qatar And its former emir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad, were at the forefront, in terms of contacts and communication, and the key to a solution to the humanitarian and political crises that we were exposed to.

I was a witness to much of what Qatar and its Emir offered, and I recorded some of those positions and meetings in a study called (Qatar and Hamas: Generosity of Giving and Controversy of Politics), as my testimony to history; Because instilling favor does not waste its earnings, nor does it forget to mention it, and as they said: “The custom between God and people does not go away.”

After the formation of Ismail Haniyeh's first government in March 2006, the Chief of Staff, Dr. Muhammad Al-Madhoun made an Arab and international tour at the end of June of the same year, which included visits to Egypt, Switzerland, Syria, the Emirates and Qatar, where we had the opportunity to meet many political levels in those countries.

In fact, it was the interview of His Highness Sheikh Hamad; The Emir of the State of Qatar at the time, is among the most intimate, fraternal, and honest in pledge and loyalty.

After the end of our tour in Switzerland, and when we heard some ideas and initiatives from the Swiss Foreign Ministry, we decided to share them with some of our close friends among the Arab and Muslim leaders. Qatar was one of the countries that we found it good to visit and present what we discussed with the Swiss and what they gave us of suggestions.

I called a friend of ours in Qatar who has close ties to the ruling family, and told him we have a message we want to deliver to His Highness the Emir, and we hope you will help us arrange that. The man called and said the prince was ready to meet you in the court.

We went on time, and found His Highness Sheikh Hamad waiting for us at the Amiri Diwan in Doha, where he greeted us with a smile and a welcome, and His Highness sat listening to our conversation about the situation in Gaza, the relationship with our brothers in the Fatah movement and with President Abu Mazen, and also about the European position and the meanings and secrets of our visit to Switzerland. We also took the conversation towards Iran. Its role and positions, the American position refusing to deal with Haniyeh’s government, and the possibilities of the role that Qatar can play to help the elected government and lift the siege on it.

Frankly, I felt in that meeting that I was talking with my older brother, and with an Arab leader who follows our cause with interest, and that Palestine, its people and its leadership have a special place in his heart and conscience.

We reviewed with His Highness our meetings with the Swiss Foreign Ministry, and exchanged opinions and advice with him about what some Europeans think to communicate with Hamas, but some of them are unable because of the "American obstacle" that represents a stumbling block and an insurmountable obstacle in the face of any progress forward.. We promised His Highness to make an effort with The Americans, although he knows that the path is still complicated, and that there is pressure - from the Americans - on Qatar not to expand its support and relations with Hamas. With regard to Iran, His Highness listened to our point of view, and blessed our directions of openness to everyone. Considering that the Palestinian issue is the issue of the nation, and that Iran is an important country in the region, and that strengthening relations with it is a credit to the Palestinian people and a win for their cause.

naturally; His Highness the Emir did not fail to mention the historical contribution of the Palestinians since the fifties in building the educational institution in the State of Qatar. His Highness also referred to the years that President Abu Mazen lived as a teacher in Qatar, and that he had a special respect for him on a personal level.

I do not fail to mention that His Highness Sheikh Hamad has a sense of humor and humor, and he liked many of the jokes told by my colleague Dr. greased; And he has the ability to present the joke in a way that makes you laugh out loud. I felt the harmony of His Highness in listening to many of these jokes, and we exchanged some of what he had, which broke the formality of the meeting, and made us feel as if we were sitting and chatting with our older brother.

After that session and the long conversation with His Highness the Emir, many negative impressions that prevailed in our political culture towards our people in the Gulf countries changed. He presented us with a pamphlet of several pages, and asked us to record for him all that we see as urgent needs for the government, and what we also hope to achieve in terms of aspirations, and what we hope for in terms of desires.

And a testimony to history, that His Highness Sheikh Hamad accomplished - with great loyalty - all that we wrote down in that meeting, the last of which was his historic visit to the Gaza Strip in October 2012, and his inauguration of many projects that today are a landmark, and are a testament to his magnanimity and generosity, and glittering urban landmarks. On the land of the Gaza Strip, and it says to us and to generations to come after us: "The prince passed through here... and this is the effect."

In short: Qatar, with its former Emir, His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (may God protect and preserve him), was the hand of goodness that did not stingy on anyone. Generosity and generosity, and if His Highness Emir Sheikh Hamad has magnified his gifts and generosity to the sons of his nation, as “the best of the worlds is the stomach of his palm”, then His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim followed in the footsteps of his father, and his righteous approach, in his sympathy and national feelings, his humanitarian stances, and his exploits in generosity and giving. We have seen how Qatar presented a convoy of people giving to Palestine at the donors' conference held in Cairo on October 12, 2014, for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip after that war of aggression against it, as it preceded everyone, and its generous grant was one billion dollars.

Our people will not forget the historic visit of His Highness Sheikh Hamad to the Gaza Strip, as he was the first Arab president to visit the Strip and break the siege on it, not only with his Amiri convoy that roamed the streets of the Gaza Strip, but also with his generous donation of half a billion dollars for the advancement of the infrastructure of the Strip, through many projects. The strategy, which succeeded in moving the sector's economy and reducing its unemployment rate.

In conclusion, we will not forget, as we remember these bright pages of history, to testify to Qatar and His Highness Sheikh Tamim that they were also among the first initiators to provide support to those affected by the repeated aggressive wars on the Gaza Strip, as the Qatari Reconstruction Committee, since its establishment, has been providing initial aid and urgent humanitarian relief To the families of the martyrs and the wounded, and to repair the infrastructure of all that was destroyed by those battles and wars.

Our Palestinian people will not lose sight of those Qatari stands in support of their cause in international forums, their appreciation for the words and positions of His Highness Emir Sheikh Tamim condemning the permanent Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip, and his demand from the international community for a just political settlement that obliges Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories in 67 AD.

Qatar, with its Emir, Sheikh Hamad and his son, His Highness Sheikh Tamim, its government and loyal people, will remain the "brotherhood of Al-Mu'tasim" to our people and our cause.