Leaders from Arab and Muslim countries will gather for an emergency summit in Doha on Monday, a week after Israel’s unprecedented strike on Hamas in Qatar prompted widespread anger.
The joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha that killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald Trump.
A draft final statement seen by AFP warned that “brutal Israeli aggression” put efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Arab states at risk.
It “threatens all that has been achieved on the path toward establishing normal relations with Israel, including existing and future agreements”, the draft added.
Israel and its main backer the United States have been trying to extend the Abraham Accords that established ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco in 2020.
Last week’s attack and Israel’s “genocide (and) ethnic cleansing (in Gaza)… undermines the prospects of achieving peace and peaceful coexistence in the region”, the draft statement said.
“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting at the weekend.
Alongside Egypt and the United States, Qatar has led mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
– ‘Actions, not just rhetoric’ –
The nearly 60-country grouping in Doha will also emphasise “the concept of collective security… as well as the necessity of aligning together to face common challenges and threats”, according to the draft.
Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, had left the kingdom for Qatar to attend the summit, state media said.
Among the leaders gathering on Monday are 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 will also attend.
An extraordinary meeting of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council would also be held in Doha on Monday, according to Saudi state media.
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air strike targeting Hamas in Qatar.
Meanwhile US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is visiting Israel in a demonstration of Washington’s unwavering support.
Aziz Algashian, a Saudi-based researcher into international relations in the Middle East, said “many people are looking at actions, not just rhetoric” from the meeting in Doha.
“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 said.
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© Agence France-Presse
