https://arab.news/8j6u6
- Emir of Qatar: Israel’s government thinks it can impose a ‘fait accompli’ on the Arabs
- ’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leaders of around 60 other countries are participating
DUBAI: Qatar’s emir said Monday that Israel had sought to derail Gaza talks by striking Hamas negotiators in his country last week, and that its premier dreamt of an Arab world under Israeli influence.
“Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations... Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the attack.
He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this is a dangerous illusion.”
Sheikh Tamim said Israel’s government was exploiting the ongoing war in Gaza to expand settlements and change the status quo, adding the negotiations were just a pretext to Israel’s military operations in the besieged territory.
“If Israel aims to assassinate Hamas leaders, why is it negotiating with them?” the Qatari ruler said in his opening statement at the summit.
He accused Israel of not caring about its hostages held in Gaza and instead only working to ”ensure Gaza is no longer livable.”
“If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators?” Sheikh Tamim asked.
“There is no room to deal with such a party that’s cowardly and treacherous,” he added. “Those who work consistently to assassinate the party in these negotiations will certainly do everything to ensure the failure of these negotiations. When they claim that they seek the liberation of hostages, that’s a mere lie.”
Sheikh Tamim also denounced Israel over what he called the “genocide” it is committing in Gaza.
The joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha that killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald Trump.
A draft final statement seen by AFP warned that “brutal Israeli aggression” put efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states at risk.
It “threatens all that has been achieved on the path toward establishing normal relations with Israel, including existing and future agreements,” the draft added.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani pose for a picture at the summit in Doha on Monday. (SPA)
Israel and its main backer the United States have been trying to extend the Abraham Accords that established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020.
Last week’s attack and Israel’s “genocide (and) ethnic cleansing (in Gaza) ... undermines the prospects of achieving peace and peaceful coexistence in the region,” the draft statement said.
“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told a preparatory meeting at the weekend.
Alongside Egypt and the United States, Qatar has led mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday that Israel’s current actions hindered any chances of new peace treaties in the Middle East.
In remarks aimed at Israel, he told the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha: “What is happening right now hinders the future of peace, threatens your security and the security of the peoples in the region and adds obstacles to chances for any new peace agreements and even aborts existing ones.”
The Crown Prince of Kuwait arrives in Doha to participate in the emergency summit. (X:@QNAEnglish)
The nearly 60-country grouping in Doha will also emphasize “the concept of collective security... as well as the necessity of aligning together to face common challenges and threats,” according to the draft.
’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is participating in the summit and other leaders attending include Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
An extraordinary meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council would also be held in Doha on Monday, according to Saudi state media.
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air strike targeting Hamas in Qatar.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel in a demonstration of Washington’s unwavering support to the country.