From theguardian.com, Sunday 20 July 2014:
[Synopsis: Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan are hostile to Hamas and are probably very happy to see Israel destroy the organisation; while Qatar and Turkey are Hamas's best friends in the region.]
International efforts to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are focusing on the Gulf state of Qatar, whose close links to Hamas make it uniquely placed to try to mediate in a conflict that has highlighted Arab divisions...
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, was flying to Doha at the start of a round of emergency talks ... Ban was due to meet the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani [friend and financier to Hamas leader Khakled Mishal; and owner of Al-Jazeera], and Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and head of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.
It was unclear whether Ban would also see the Hamas leader, Khaled Mishal, who lives in Doha.
Mishal and Abbas were due to meet separately.
Ban is also due in Cairo on Monday to see President Abdel-Fatah al-Sisi, author of a rival ceasefire plan that has already been rejected by Hamas...
Khaled al-Attiyeh, Qatar's foreign minister, has emerged as a key figure in the ceasefire effort, not least because he is close to John Kerry, the US secretary of state....
Qatar's role as mediator is being enhanced because of the deep hostility of the Egyptian government to Hamas, which has close links to the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood....
King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia – a staunch backer of Sisi, and another sworn enemy of Hamas and other Islamist movements -– said at the weekend that he supported Cairo's proposals.
Qatar's efforts are being supported by Turkey, which is also close to Hamas. Qatar is said to be calling for an international conference to promote the ceasefire effort and to raise funds for reconstruction in Gaza.
Ban is also scheduled to visit Kuwait, Jerusalem, Ramallah and Amman. Jordan ...is [also] hostile to Hamas....
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