The comments were made at an Arab League meeting in Cairo.
Qatar’s Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani arrived in Egypt on Tuesday to participate in the Arab League meeting during his first ever visit to Cairo since the blockade was imposed on Doha in 2017.
Joining Al-Thani, Qatar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi attended the meeting in Egypt where the parties of the 22-member bloc discussed several issues of common concern.
The ongoing illegal occupation of Palestine was at the heart of the discussion, as well as other developments in the Arab world.
“Despite the current issues facing the Arab world, the Palestinian case remains our top priority and we reiterate Qatar’s firm position in supporting the rights of the Palestinians,” said the foreign minister in his opening speech.
Al-Thani stressed that a just and comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue cannot be achieved without a two-state solution, in accordance with international law and per the Arab Peace initiative, calling for the formation of the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Read also: Qatar declines Arab League presidency following Palestinian resignation
“We renew our calls for serious international action to end the occupation of Arab lands and for a just resolution to the refugee crisis…all practices of the occupying Israeli authority are null and unjustifiable and violate all international law,” he added.
The foreign minister also called for unity to achieve regional peace and stability, stressing the need to resolve the crisis in war-torn Syria.
“Almost a decade has passed since this crisis in which the brotherly Syrian people suffer and still do. They continue to endure unspeakable suffering, and are subjected to heinous crimes and grave violations that violate the provisions of international humanitarian law,” said the foreign minister.
Al-Thani has also called for holding those to blame for the Syria conflict accountable and to punish them under the international criminal court of justice, encouraging the global community to act to reach peace in the war-torn state.
As for the ongoing war in Yemen, the Qatari diplomat urged world leaders to ensure unity in the country and its stability, stressing the need for dialogue to end the devastating conflict.
Read also: Qatar’s FM rules out normalisation with Israel despite GCC reconciliation
Qatar assumed the chairmanship of the Tuesday meeting after refusing to do so last year, following a wave of controversial normalisation deals, dubbed the Abraham Accords, between several Arab countries and Israel which Doha slammed as a violation of the Arab Peace Initiative.
Abraham Accords
Speculations on whether Doha would normalise ties with Israel following the GCC reconciliation have emerged on several occasions.
However, the Gulf state has repeatedly reiterated its position on the Palestinian case and has vehemently refused to normalise with Israel until it ends its illegal occupation.
The Abraham Accords is a sovereign decision that Qatar will not interfere in, the FM said.
The Al Ula Declaration, signed in the Saudi Arabia in January, restored ties between Qatar and Riyadh, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt after imposing an illegal land, air, and sea blockade on the Gulf state.
“The Al-Ula statement is about clear fundamentals related to non-infringement of state sovereignty. We agreed on solidarity in combating terrorism and collective action to bridge the gap and the dispute,” Qatar’s foreign minister told Al Jazeera.
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