DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar hosted a summit of Arab and Islamic nations Monday in the hopes of presenting a united response to Israel’s attack on Hamas leaders last week in Doha.
“If Israel wishes to assassinate the Hamas leaders, why then engage in negotiations?” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani asked.
Tomorrow it can be any Arab or Muslim capital’s turn.” Before the summit, analysts floated possibly closing airspace to Israeli flights or downgrading ties with Israel.
Netanyahu himself has vowed to strike all those who organized the Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023.
And since last week’s strike, the Israeli leader has doubled down on saying Qatar remains a possible target if Hamas leaders are there.
In an attempt to provide a coordinated response to Israel’s assault on Hamas leaders in Doha last week, Qatar hosted a summit of Arab and Islamic countries on Monday, according to the Associated Press (AP). Leaders, however, disagreed on what should be done, and the group decided to do very little.
In reaction to Hamas’ October 11, Israel began its invasion of Gaza. The militant group and other members of Iran’s so-called Axis of Resistance have been the target of retaliation since the attack on July 7, 2023, in Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and now Qatar. The deaths of over 64,000 Palestinians during the war in Gaza have infuriated many Middle Eastern countries, and this has added to their ire and raised worries that the U. S. The Gulf Arab states may not be sufficiently committed to their protection.
Any attempt at cooperation was probably thwarted, though, by the stark differences between the countries.
Countries that Israel views as adversaries, such as Iran, issued condemnations. In the meantime, the countries with which Israel has diplomatic recognition agreements were hesitant to break off their relations. The Abraham Accords, which officially recognized Israel, were signed by Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates five years ago on Monday.
“The missiles won’t be stopped by condemnations. Palestine will not be freed by declarations, according to Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim. “Severe, punitive measures must be implemented.”. “”.
The ruler of Qatar delivers an eloquent speech.
The summit began with the ruling emir of Qatar accusing Israel of “ensuring Gaza is no longer livable” rather than showing concern for its hostages in Gaza. Israel has stated that defeating Hamas and bringing all the hostages home are among the objectives of its conflict.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani questioned, “Why negotiate if Israel wants to kill the Hamas leaders?”. “So why are all negotiators killed if you want to demand the release of hostages?”.
The 45-year-old leader of Qatar, who has been a crucial mediator in ceasefire negotiations, delivered an unusually venomous speech.
He continued, “There is no room to deal with such a cowardly and treacherous party.”. “There’s no doubt that those who are constantly trying to undermine the party involved in these negotiations will stop at nothing to make sure they fail. They are lying when they say that they want to free the hostages. “.”.
Sheikh Tamim also condemned Israel for what he described as the “genocide” it is perpetrating in Gaza, a view expressed by several other summit participants. Israel adamantly disputes that it is carrying out genocide. It claims that by refusing to give up and free the hostages, Hamas is extending the conflict.
Israel “should also be squeezed economically, as previous experience shows that such steps yield results,” stated Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. “.”.
Attending the summit is Iran, which struck a base in Qatar in June.
After the U. S. Iran attacked Qatar’s Al Udeid Air Base, a key base for US forces, after bombing Iranian nuclear sites in June. This action infuriated Qatar. However, Iran sent President Masoud Pezeshkian to the meeting on Monday, where he called on other countries to “isolate the aggressor.”. “.”.
Pezeshkian mentioned Israel’s war on Iran in June but did not address Iran’s attack on Qatar. Additionally, he cautioned that any nation in the area might follow.
“The Doha attack changed a lot of wrong ideas and miscalculations,” he said. It demonstrated that no Muslim or Arab nation is immune to the Tel Aviv regime’s aggression. It may be the turn of any Arab or Muslim capital tomorrow. “.”.
Analysts suggested downgrading ties with Israel or blocking Israeli flights from using the airspace prior to the summit. However, the meeting’s final statement only urged states to “take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people.”. “”.
On the fringes of the summit, the Gulf Cooperation Council, comprising the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, convened separately. Without providing further details, its members said in a statement that they had made the decision to take action “to activate the mechanisms of joint defense and the Gulf deterrence capabilities.”.
In negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, Qatar has been crucial.
Long a mediator in disputes, Qatar is an energy-rich country on the Arabian Peninsula that hosted the 2022 World Cup. At the U.S.’s request, it has housed Hamas’ political leadership for years. S. allowing Israel to engage in negotiations with the militant organization that has ruled Gaza for many years.
However, hardliners in Netanyahu’s administration have been criticizing Qatar more and more as the Israel-Hamas conflict has continued. Netanyahu has promised to take revenge on everyone involved in the 2023 Hamas-led assault on Israel. The Israeli leader has also reiterated that Qatar is still a target if Hamas leaders are present since last week’s attack.
U. S. Speaking to Netanyahu and other Israeli officials Monday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio discussed Israel’s upcoming new offensive on Gaza City and conveyed American concerns about the attack on Qatar. As the administration looks to reduce tensions between its two close allies, Rubio was scheduled to make a brief trip to Qatar on Tuesday.
Speaking to journalists in Jerusalem, Rubio said that the United States wanted to cooperate with all of its regional partners to stop Hamas and achieve a ceasefire in the conflict, but he declined to comment on Israel’s strike.
Rubio declared, “We will keep pushing Qatar to contribute positively in that area.”.
The Israeli attack on Qatar “was a wholly independent decision by us,” Netanyahu reiterated. “”.
The Israeli public is putting more and more pressure on Netanyahu to halt the war and return the 48 hostages who are still being held in Gaza, 20 of whom Israel believes are still alive.
the Oct. led by Hamas. 1,200 people, primarily civilians, were killed in the 7 attack, and 251 people were kidnapped.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that Israel’s subsequent offensives in Gaza have killed over 64,000 Palestinians, though it does not specify the number of combatants or civilians killed. According to the report, women and children made up about half of the fatalities.
The ministry is staffed by medical experts and is a part of the Hamas-run government. The U. No. and impartial experts consider its numbers to be the most accurate representation of war fatalities. Israel contests them, but it hasn’t offered any.
