An emergency summit of Arab and Muslim countries held in Doha has declared its solidarity with Qatar and condemned Israel’s bombing of the Qatari capital last week.
The extraordinary joint session between the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) gathered nearly 60 member states on Monday. Leaders said the meeting marked a critical moment to deliver a united message following what they described as an unprecedented escalation by Israel.
The Israeli attack targeted senior Hamas leaders who were meeting to discuss a United States-backed ceasefire proposal. At least six people were killed in the unprecedented attack, which has drawn condemnation from around the world, including Arab and Muslim countries.
Here is what leaders said at the summit:
Qatar
“My country’s capital was subjected to a treacherous attack targeting a residence housing the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating delegation,” Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said in his opening speech.
Sheikh Tamim added that Israel was not interested in ending the war in Gaza, as it was trying “to thwart the negotiations”.
“If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators? How can we host in our country negotiating delegations from Israel while they send drones and planes for an air raid against our country?”
Qatar’s emir added that Netanyahu dreams of the Arab region becoming an Israeli sphere of influence.
This is a dangerous illusion, he said.
“The negotiations between Israel and Hamas were about to reach an achievement with the help of the sisterly country of Egypt and the United States of America. This has resulted in the liberation of many hostages.
“Israel continues its intransigence and insistence on continuing the war,” he said.
Turkiye
“We are dealing with a terrorist mindset that thrives on chaos and bloodshed, embodied in a state. This mindset, which openly violates the UN charter and challenges the rules-based international system, survives because its crimes go unpunished,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.
“There is a greedy, bloodthirsty mentality among Israeli officials,” he added, accusing the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of seeking to continue massacres and drag the region into chaos.
The Doha attack has taken “Israel’s banditry” to a new level, Erdogan said.
“Economic pressure must be exerted on Israel, and past experience has proven the success of such pressure,” he said, adding that “we cannot accept the displacement of the Palestinian people, their genocide or partition”.
Egypt
“The heinous attack on Qatari territory is a grave violation of international law and sets a dangerous precedent. I warn that Israel’s uncontrolled behaviour will exacerbate the conflict and destabilise the region,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said.
“I say to the people of Israel that what is happening now is sabotaging the existing peace agreements, and the consequences will be dire.”
El-Sisi added that Israel must understand that its security and sovereignty will not be achieved by force, but rather by respecting the law and sovereignty of other states.
Iran
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said leaders should reinforce their “unity and solidarity” to stand up against Israel.
“We should stand up to these threats, reiterating that any further crimes cannot be tolerated, and shall not remain silent towards what is unfolding now in Gaza or what has taken place in Beirut or Yemen,” he urged.
Pezeshkian said that unity must not only be based on shared religion but on the “shared tenets of humanity”.
“It is possible that Islamic countries cut their ties with this fake regime and maintain unity and cohesion as much as possible,” Pezeshkian said.
Iraq
“The security and stability of any Arab or Islamic country [are] an integral part of our collective security,” said Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
“The current conditions call for moving from condemnation to coordinated collective action”, he added, and proposed forming “a joint Arab-Islamic committee to convey our position to the UN Security Council and General Assembly, the European Union and other international fora”.
“We have a real opportunity to send a clear message confirming that the security of our countries is not a matter of negotiation,” he said.
He urged leaders at the summit to issue “a unified Arab and Islamic position condemning the attack” on Qatar, which he said had “exceeded all limits and violated every humanitarian principle”, and to develop a comprehensive roadmap for a ceasefire.
Failure to deter Israel would “lead to further instability and will not achieve security for any party”, he added.
Jordan
King Abdullah II of Jordan said the strike on Doha was “living proof” that the threat Israel poses is “without limits”.
“Our response must be clear, decisive, and, above all, deterring,” he said.
The king criticised Israel’s ongoing expansion in the occupied West Bank, which undermines the so-called two-state solution, and stressed that the summit must deliver practical measures to confront Israel, halt the war in Gaza, and prevent further Palestinian displacement.
Palestine
“We call upon the international community to live up to its responsibility, to hold Israel liable and responsible for their crimes, and the repeated assault on our countries and peoples, and in this direction, we call for practical measures to prevent any recurrence of these violations,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said.
“The radical far-right government of Israel cannot be a partner to peace and security in our region. This demands a firm Arab and Muslim position and firm intervention by the US and the UN Security Council to bring the rogue state and its behaviour to an end,” he added.
Malaysia
“Our people have become wary of words. They have watched us issue condemnation after condemnation, declaration after declaration, while Israel escalates with impunity, as future generations will ask whether we found the courage to act. We do not ask nations to go beyond their basic obligations,” Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said.
“Condemnations will not stop the missiles. Declarations will not free Palestine. Severe, punitive actions must be put in place. Diplomatic engagements must cease, and so must relations with Israel,” he added.
Indonesia
“The Palestinian question is not solely about Palestine. It’s about the survival of our nations, the dignity of our people, and the sanctity of international law,” Indonesian Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka said.
The summit “must not only issue collective condemnation against Israel, but also urge the United Nations Security Council to fulfil its mandate by taking firm and urgent measures to ensure accountability and prevent any recurrence”, he added.
Pakistan
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif affirmed his country’s full solidarity with Qatar and condemned the attack in the strongest terms.
“In my statement, I strongly condemned Israel’s aggression in the Middle East, reaffirmed Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with Qatar, and reiterated our firm commitment to peace in the region, including our resolute support for a just and lasting two-state solution,” he said.
Gulf Cooperation Council
“We expect our strategic partners in the US to use their influence on Israel for it to stop this behaviour – we really do expect that,” said Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
“The summit and its proceedings reflect “the status, respect, and appreciation enjoyed by Qatar”, he added.
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
“The summit is an opportunity to take a unified and firm stance against the heinous Israeli aggression,” said Hissein Brahim Taha, secretary-general of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.
“We reiterate our strong condemnation of the blatant attack on the State of Qatar and its territorial sovereignty,” he added.
He called for the Arab and Islamic states present to take “firm decisions” against Israel, and for the wider international community “to assume its responsibilities and hold Israel accountable for its crimes”.
“We affirm our support for the outcomes of the international conference to resolve the Palestinian issue and the two-state solution,” he said, adding that “we are confident that the outcomes of this summit will strengthen Arab and Islamic solidarity”.
Arab League
“The message says ‘enough silence’ to the acts of thuggery by this rogue state, which has been wreaking havoc, destruction, killing and starvation within the region,” Ahmed Aboul Gheit, secretary-general of the Arab League, said.
“Second, silence to criminality is per se a crime. Silence to the violation of international law undermines the international system,” Gheit said.
Such silence, Gheit added, has emboldened the Israeli army to feel that “each and every act is possible and any crime can go unpunished. That’s why they continued to spread destruction from one country to another, ignite the entire region as if the entire world has passed back into the ages of darkness and barbarism”.
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