Qatar Emir urges Palestinian unity on Gaza visit

GAZA: Qatar's emir called for Palestinian unity as he made a landmark visit to the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the first to the enclave by a head of state since Hamas took over in 2007.

Gaza's Islamist rulers unfurled red carpets and recited poems in honour of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani as he arrived to inaugurate a multi-million dollar project to rebuild the impoverished territory.

His visit was a diplomatic coup for Hamas, which has been shunned by international dignitaries since it seized the territory in 2007, ousting forces loyal to the western-backed Palestinian Authority of president Mahmud Abbas. But the Qatari emir urged the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Abbas' Fatah to reconcile their differences.

"It's about time Palestinians turn over the page of division and open a new chapter for reconciliation and agreement, based on the agreements in Doha and Cairo, with sincere efforts from Palestinian president brother Mahmud Abbas and head of the Hamas political bureau Khaled Meshaal," he said. Gaza's Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya hailed the emir's visit as a "victory" over his Islamist government's isolation. AFP