Sheikh Mohammed, during the meeting, said Israel’s attack on Qatar was not on a site, but rather “the principle of mediation”.
Qatar has slammed Israel’s escalatory attack on its territory and denounced its “illusions” of establishing a “Greater Israel” through illegal settlement expansion in Palestine, during the preparatory meeting for the emergency Arab-Islamic summit in Doha.
The meeting kicked off on Sunday, a day ahead of the emergency high-level summit that is set to discuss last week’s Israel’s attack on Doha.
The meeting took place at the level of foreign ministers and started with opening remarks by Qatar’s Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani.
Sheikh Mohammed called out Israel’s “reckless and treacherous” attack on his country that took place amid crucial negotiations aimed at reaching a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
“This aggression will only serve to sabotage efforts toward de-escalation and confirms the Israeli government’s intentions to reject peaceful paths to resolving the Palestinian issue,” Sheikh Mohammed told the meeting.
“This is clearly reflected in repeated statements by Israeli officials regarding the annexation of Palestinian land and the illusions of Greater Israel,” he added.
The shocking terror attack on September 9 targeted a residential building housing members of Hamas’s political office—which was established in 2012 at the United States’ request for mediation purposes.
Israel killed five lower-rank members of Hamas and 22-year-old Corporal Bader Al-Humaidi Al-Dosari, a member of Qatar’s Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to attack Qatar again if it does not “expel” Hamas’s delegation.
Sheikh Mohammed, during the meeting, said Israel’s attack on Qatar was not on a site, but rather on “the principle of mediation”.
“This confirms that what happened was not simply the targeting of a site, but rather an attack on the principle of mediation itself and all what diplomacy stands for as an alternative to war and destruction,” he said.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit addressed the preparatory meeting, where he called out Israel’s terror attack on Qatar.
“Israel’s aggression against Qatar combines cowardice, treachery, and foolishness,” he said.
Separately the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Hissein Brahim Taha called for measures to halt Israel’s escalations, especially the attack on Qatar.
“Decisive measures must be taken against Israel over its aggression against Qatar,” Taha added.
Israel has obstructed all efforts to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip under its insistence on continuing the genocide and occupying the territory.
Qatar’s efforts, along with the U.S. and Egypt, resulted in a ceasefire deal in January, which Israel broke on March 18.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has killed at least 64,871 people, mainly women and children, in the Gaza Strip, with thousands still trapped under the rubble, according to the local health ministry.
However, a recent report by Scientists Dr. Gideon Polya and Professor Richard Hil said the figure is believed to be at least 680,000.
The genocide triggered regional instability as Israel carried out attacks on other countries over the past 23 months including Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran while reports pointed to its attack on Gaza-bound aid ships in Tunisia.
