"It's time for the international community to stop using double standards and sanction Israel for all the crimes it has committed. Israel must know that it will not achieve its goals in this destructive war that our Palestinian brothers and sisters are enduring," Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said in a televised address today.
Al-Thani also affirmed that Israel's actions would not deter Qatar, along with Egypt and the US, from continuing mediation efforts to end the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
Al-Thani's comments came ahead of an emergency summit hosted by Qatar, with Arab and Muslim leaders in attendance, to discuss Israel's attack on Doha, Qatar's capital.
 |
Prime Minister Al-Thani at a press conference in Doha on 9/9. Photo: AFP |
Prime Minister Al-Thani at a press conference in Doha on 9/9. Photo: AFP
Israeli officials have not yet commented on the Qatari prime minister's statement.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 13/9 continued to defend the decision to conduct airstrikes in Doha. "Hamas leaders living in Qatar don't care about the people of Gaza. They are blocking all ceasefire efforts to prolong the fighting. Removing them will remove the main obstacle to rescuing all the hostages and ending the fighting," he said.
On 9/9, the Israeli military targeted Hamas political leaders present in Doha. Hamas said its key leaders survived the attack, but 5 members were killed, including the son of senior negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya. A member of the Qatari security forces was also killed in the attack.
The United Nations Security Council on 11/9 issued a statement condemning the airstrike on Doha and called for de-escalation, but did not mention Israel. Prime Minister Al-Thani, who attended the emergency Security Council meeting, welcomed the statement and reaffirmed Qatar's commitment to maintaining its mediating role in the conflict.
UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo expressed concern that the airstrike on Doha was "an alarming escalation" that risked opening a new and dangerous phase in the conflict, posing a serious threat to regional peace and stability.
Huyen Le (AFP, Reuters, AP)
