Arab, Islamic leaders express solidarity with Qatar, seek to deter Israel

by · UPI

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Sept. 15 (UPI) -- Arab and Islamic leaders expressed solidarity with Qatar on Monday, strongly condemning Israel for its attack last week on the oil-rich Gulf state and calling for deterrent measures while opposing Israel's plans to impose a new reality in the region.

The leaders, who gathered in Doha for an emergency Arab-Islamic summit, firmly rejected any threat to the "security of any of our nations," reaffirming their shared responsibility to confront acts of aggression and to defend their "collective security."

The summit convened after Israel carried out unprecedented air strikes Tuesday on the Qatari capital, Doha, targeting residential buildings in which Hamas political leaders were set to meet to discuss U.S. President Donald Trump's new proposal to end the nearly 23-month war in Gaza.

The Hamas negotiating team escaped unharmed, but five members of the group and one Qatari security official were killed.

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A final communique released at the end of the summit reaffirmed "absolute support" for Qatar, expressing a "united stance" in confronting the Israeli aggression that constitutes "a serious threat to regional peace and security."

The statement said the absence of international accountability and silence of the international community have encouraged Israel to persist in its attacks and blatant violations of international law and international resolutions.

"The continuation of Israeli aggressive practices, including crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and blockade, settlement activities, and expansionist policies, undermines any chances for achieving peace in the region," it said.

The leaders denounced Israel's "cowardly" attack on Qatar, a major U.S. NATO ally and a key mediator in efforts to secure a cease-fire and end the war on Gaza.

They strongly rejected Israel's renewed threats to possibly target Qatar again or any other Arab or Islamic country hosting Hamas, calling on the international community to adopt "deterrent measures" to put an end to them.

Moreover, they emphasized the necessity of standing against Israel's plans "to impose a new reality in the region and pursuing its policy of "ethnic cleansing" against the Palestinian people, calling to hold it accountable for its crimes by enforcing arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court against Israeli officials last year.

The Arab and Islamic leaders also welcomed the convening of the Two-State Solution Conference, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, to be held in New York on Sept. 22, calling for intensifying international efforts to ensure "broad recognition" of the independent state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which also convened at the sidelines of the Doha summit, said the attack on Qatar constitutes "a direct threat to collective Gulf security and to regional peace and stability."

The Gulf leaders instructed the council's Joint Defense Council to hold an emergency meeting in Doha, preceded by a meeting of the Supreme Military Committee, to "take the necessary operational measures to activate joint defense mechanisms and Gulf deterrence capabilities."

Speaking at the summit opening session, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani described Israel's air strikes on Doha as "a treacherous attack" and "an act of terrorism."

"Have you ever heard of anything like this before -- a state that systematically and persistently works to assassinate the very politicians it is negotiating with and attacks the mediator country where the negotiations are taking place?" the emir asked rhetorically.

He asked why Israel was negotiating with Hamas if it wanted to assassinate its political leadership and bomb Qatar, adding "it is impossible to deal with this level of deceit and treachery."

"What it [Israel] truly wants is to make Gaza uninhabitable in order to pave the way for the displacement of its population, expand the settlements and annex the West Bank," the emir said, referring to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhu's "Greater Israel" vision.

He strongly criticized Netanyahu for boasting that he has reshaped the Middle East over the past two years, warning that he is seeking to drag Lebanon into a civil war and dividing Syria.

"We are confident that these schemes will not succeed," he said.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Abul Ghait addressed the Israeli people, saying that "the crimes" committed by their government, including the killing of 63,000 Palestinians, the starvation and displacement of the Gaza people "will not be forgotten."

Jordan's King Abdallah warned that Israel was pushing the region toward more conflicts, and he called for taking "practical decisions" to confront such a "danger" and stop the war in Gaza.

"The aggression against Qatar is proof that the Israeli threat knows no limits," King Abdallah said. "Our response must be clear, decisive and deterrent."

While Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel's extremist right-wing government "cannot be a partner in security and stability in our region," Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi warned that the Israeli actions obstruct "any opportunities for new peace agreements ... and jeopardizes existing peace agreements with countries in the region."

Al-Sissi called for establishing an "Arab-Islamic mechanism for coordination and cooperation that would "strengthen our front" and take the necessary steps to "protect our security and safeguard our shared interests."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Israel will not stop its expansionist and aggressive policies except through "strong deterrence," and called on Arab and Islamic countries to strengthen their defensive military industries.

"Before us is a terrorist mentality that feeds on chaos and blood, embodied in the form of a state," Erdogan said. "There is no doubt that the government of Netanyahu aims to continue massacres and extermination in Palestine and push the region toward further chaos."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose country was also bombed by Israel during a 12-day war in June, said Israel crossed "all red lines" and warned that no Arab or Islamic country is safe from Israeli attacks.

Pezeshkian added that Arab and Islamic countries have no choice but to unite their ranks to confront Israel after it attacked many of them this year under the pretext of defending itself.