Leaders at an emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha on Monday warned that Israel’s attacks carried grave regional consequences and urged joint action to counter its bid to reshape the Middle East.
The Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) joint session, which brought together nearly 60 countries, sought to take firm action after Israel’s attack on Qatar-hosted Hamas officials as they discussed a Gaza cease-fire proposal. The leaders of the UAE, Bahrain and Morocco, who signed the Abraham Accords recognizing Israel five years ago to the day, did not attend Monday’s talks, sending senior representatives instead.
The final statement published by Qatar’s official news agency QNA condemned the strikes on Doha and voiced full solidarity with Qatar. The summit said Israeli aggression “undermines any chances of achieving peace in the region.”
The statement stressed the need to “stand against Israel’s plans to impose a new reality in the region,” warning that such efforts pose a “direct threat to regional and international security.”
Leaders at the summit stressed that “a just, comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East will not be achieved by bypassing the Palestinian cause or ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people, nor through violence or targeting mediators, but through commitment to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.”
They urged the international community, especially the U.N. Security Council, to assume its legal and moral responsibilities to end the Israeli occupation and to set a binding timetable for its conclusion.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Qatar on Tuesday, after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of “eradicating Hamas” during a visit to the country.
The attack strained ties between Washington and key allies in the Gulf, raising concerns over U.S. security guarantees in a region housing major U.S. assets, including a major military base in Qatar.
The State Department said Rubio would “reaffirm America’s full support for Qatar’s security and sovereignty” after last week’s strike.
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