Why the PA wants to stay on good terms with Qatar
The Qatari ambassador to Palestine stayed in the Gaza Strip for three weeks, holding banquets, visiting various institutions and making donations, with mixed reactions from Palestinian factions.
Mohammed al-Emadi, Qatar's ambassador to the Palestinian territories and head of the National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, arrived in the Gaza Strip July 28 and left three weeks later, on Aug. 17. This visit to Gaza was his longest since he became head of the committee when it was established in late 2012 to rebuild what was destroyed by the first Israeli war on Gaza (December 2008-January 2009).
During his stay in Gaza, Emadi visited the Islamic University on Aug. 7. He attended the graduation of the first class of deaf students and offered them a grant of $500 each. The Islamic University is one of Hamas’ most important institutions. On the same day, Emadi toured the University College of Applied Sciences and praised its academic efforts.
On Aug. 12, Emadi visited Al-Azhar University where he also attended the graduation ceremony and made donations worth $2,000 for those who graduated with distinction. Al-Azhar University is affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and is one of Fatah’s institutions in Gaza. On the same day, he met with a delegation of Palestinian businessmen at the Palestinian Businessmen Association’s headquarters.
