Leaders from Arab and Muslim countries are set to gather in Doha on Monday, a week after Israel’s unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar sparked widespread outrage.
The emergency summit, organized by the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, aims to exert pressure on Israel amid increasing calls to end the ongoing war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hamas reported that top officials survived last week’s airstrike in an upscale Doha neighborhood, which resulted in six fatalities and drew criticism, including from US President Donald Trump.
“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” stated Qatari Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani during a preparatory meeting over the weekend. He emphasized that Israel’s “war of extermination” in Gaza would ultimately fail.
A draft final statement obtained by AFP condemned the “brutal Israeli aggression,” warning that it jeopardizes efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states.
Israel, along with its primary ally the United States, has been working to extend the Abraham Accords, which established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in 2020. However, last week’s attack and allegations of “genocide and ethnic cleansing” undermine the prospects for peace and coexistence in the region, according to the draft statement.
It further warned that such actions threaten existing and future agreements aimed at normalizing relations with Israel.
The nearly 60-country gathering will also focus on “the concept of collective security” and the importance of uniting to tackle common challenges and threats, as outlined in the draft.
Notable leaders attending the summit include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas. Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are also expected to participate.
A Saudi diplomatic source, who requested anonymity, revealed that an extraordinary meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council will also take place in Doha on the same day.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel, demonstrating Washington’s steadfast support. Rubio, a devout Catholic, was seen wearing a kippa and offering prayers at Jerusalem’s Western Wall alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday.
Aziz Algashian, a Saudi-based researcher specializing in Middle Eastern international relations, remarked, “Many people are looking at actions, not just rhetoric” from the Doha meeting. “We’ve exhausted all forms of rhetoric. Now it’s just going to have to be actions — and we’ll see what those actions will be,” he added.
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