Photo credit: Khaleej Times
Arab and Islamic states have condemned Israel’s “barbaric” attack on Qatar and will support Qatar in measures it will take to safeguard its sovereignty.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohamed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Than said, “We appreciate the solidarity of brotherly Arab and Islamic countries from the international community that condemned this barbaric Israeli attack. It expressed its full support for us and the legitimate legal measures we will take to preserve the sovereignty of our country.”
Foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries convened in Doha before their leaders hold an emergency summit on Monday in response to Israel’s attack last week.
The Arab League and Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC) session opened with urgency as the delegates came together in a city suddenly thrust into the heart of a regional confrontation.
Israel’s strikes on Tuesday killed five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. It narrowly missed the negotiating team meeting in Doha as they weighed a United States proposal to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza.
Delegates from the Arab League and OIC are collaborating on a joint resolution that will specify concrete measures against Israel. The details of this resolution are expected to be revealed on Monday.
The Prime Minister also criticized Israel’s continuous derailment of Gaza ceasefire talks. Members of both the Arab League and OIC called for Israel to be held accountable for its attack on Qatar.
OIC Secretary-General Hissein Brahim Taha said, “The ongoing state terrorism against the people of the region demands us to draft a resolution for the UN General Assembly to put an end to these practices as well as the violations and crimes against the Palestinian people and push forward for the two-state solution.”
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit stressed the need for a clear message of Arab-Islamic solidarity with Qatar, stating that Israel must be brought to account for “evidenced war crimes”, including “killing civilians, starving the population and driving an entire population homeless”.
There are expectations that the summit will yield a unified and forceful response to Israel’s attack.
