Qatar has been at the forefront of de-escalation efforts since the start of the deadly Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has slammed Israel’s “barbaric and unprecedented bombing” of Gaza on Tuesday and condemned countries around the world for their unconditional support of Israel’s killing of Palestinians.
“We are saying enough is enough. It is untenable for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and free license to kill, nor is it tenable to continue ignoring the reality of occupation, siege and settlement,” Sheikh Tamim told the Shura Council in Doha on Tuesday.
The powerful remarks were made during the inaugural session of the Shura Council’s legislative term and saw the Qatari leader sidetrack from the conventional focus on domestic affairs to instead shed light on Palestine.
Since 7 October, Gaza has been subjected to a deadly Israeli bombing campaign that has killed at least 5,087 Palestinians, including more than 1,700 children, though more than 1,000 are still believed to be trapped under the rubble.
Addressing the weeks-long brutal campaign, Sheikh Tamim said Palestinians in Gaza “are living in difficult circumstances beyond imagination, and it is not permissible to remain silent about the barbaric and unprecedented bombing that civilians are being subjected to.”
Qatar has been at the forefront of de-escalation efforts since the start of the deadly Israeli aggression on Gaza.
Officials in Doha have been in close contact with key international partners— namely the United States, the United Kingdom, Iran, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, among others—in an effort to end the Israeli escalations in Gaza. So far, Doha has managed to mediate the release of four captives held by Hamas.
In reiterating Qatar’s stance as a peace advocate, the Qatari leader slammed Israel’s attacks on “innocent civilians on any side, regardless of their nationality.”
However, he stressed that Qatar does “not accept double standards and act as if the lives of Palestinian children do not count, as if they are without faces and names.”
“What is happening is very dangerous, including trampling on all religious and worldly values, customs and laws, not just international law and the Israeli and public declaration of illegal intentions such as displacement and others,” Amir Tamim said.
Sheikh Tamim also took aim at those standing in support of Israel as it continues its bombing campaign on Gaza, where half of the population are under the age of 15.
“We would like to ask those who have aligned with the war, and those acting to gag any dissenting opinion: What would come in the aftermath of this war?” he said.
The Qatari leader underscored the seriousness of the situation in Gaza and its violations of all “religious and worldly values, customs and laws” in addition to Israel’s ongoing policy of settlement expansion and displacement.
On 8 October, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced an all-out siege on Gaza, preventing its more than 2 million population of access to basic necessities, such as water and electricity, and describing locals there as “human animals”.
In his speech in Doha on Tuesday, Sheikh Tamim denounced such acts.
“It should not be allowed in our time to use cutting off water and preventing medicine and food as weapons against an entire population. We call for an earnest regional and international stance vis-a-vis this dangerous escalation that we are witnessing,” Sheikh Tamim added.
He stressed: “The Palestinian people are here to stay, despite the lingering suffering under occupation, siege, land confiscation and settlement. Wars offer no solution of any kind. What lies ahead of this will be further exacerbation of suffering, an increase in the number of victims, and a deep sense of grievance that breeds wrath.
The Qatari leader also renewed his support for Palestinians and the establishment of an independent state at the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
“Generations of children will grow up amidst this horrific experience, and the silence observed by the international community over the killing of their brothers and peers. The only way to guarantee security and stability for the two peoples is in what has been put aside until now, which lies in achieving a just and lasting peace, and securing Palestinian people’s access to all their legitimate rights approved by international organisations”.
