Sheikh Hamad’s Lebanon legacy: Rebuilding after war and brokering peace

War has a way of erasing its own history. The market Qatar helped rebuild in Bintishbeil after the 2006 war has once again been devastated. South Lebanon remains on the front line of the war with Israel, and many of the places rebuilt nearly two decades ago have not escaped another round of destruction. Yet, one memory has survived. In August 2006, as the dust of war was still settling, Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani became the first Arab head of state to visit South Lebanon. He walked through Bintishbeil, Ainata, and Marouna Pass, towns that had become symbols of the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. For many Lebanese, especially in the south, his visit represented something they felt had long been missing, visible Arab solidarity after a devastating war. The visit did not end with symbolism. Qatar launched one of the largest Arab-funded reconstruction programs in Lebanon after the war. It financed homes, roads, schools, and public buildings across southern Lebanon, including the historic market of Bintishbeil, helping thousands of families rebuild their communities. The father Emir, as he became known after handing over power to his son Sheikh Tamim, also toured Beirut's southern suburbs, walking through neighborhoods reduced to rubble during the war. For many Lebanese, it was difficult to imagine an Arab head of state walking through streets still marked by destruction. Reconstruction alone would not bring stability. The post-war political crisis deepened. Hezbollah and its allies launched months of protests against the government. The confrontation reached its most dangerous point when Hezbollah took over parts of Beirut in May 2008. Fears mounted that Lebanon could once again descend into civil war. And here is where Qatar stepped in. The Doha negotiations brought Lebanon's rival political leaders to the same table. The agreement reached there ended an 18-month political deadlock, paved the way for the election of President Michel Suleiman, and reopened the country's political institutions. The father Emir came once again to Beirut to witness the moment he helped cultivate. The skillful diplomacy that the Qatari diplomats have put since 2006 and later in 2008 and at the moment supporting the Lebanese government and the different Lebanese political groups and political parties to come together, mediating between them to reach agreements and to stop the potential of any conflict or strife. The legacy shall continue as well in the support that the father Emir has put in the Lebanese government and its institutions. In 2010, the father Emir returned to Lebanon. This time, not to inspect ruins, but to mark the completion of much of the reconstruction. In South Lebanon, local officials presented him with what they described as the symbolic keys of the South. His engagement with Lebanon would outlive his own rule. Support for reconstruction, humanitarian assistance, and political mediation became part of a broader Qatari policy towards Lebanon. Ali Hashim, Al Jazeera.