“Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations... Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the attack.
He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this is a dangerous illusion.”
Sheikh Tamim said Israel’s government was exploiting the ongoing war in Gaza to expand settlements and change the status quo, adding the negotiations were just a pretext to Israel’s military operations in the besieged territory.
“If Israel aims to assassinate Hamas leaders, why is it negotiating with them?” the Qatari ruler said in his opening statement at the summit.
He accused Israel of not caring about its hostages held in Gaza and instead only working to “ensure Gaza is no longer livable.”
“If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators?” Sheikh Tamim asked.
“There is no room to deal with such a party that’s cowardly and treacherous,” he added. “Those who work consistently to assassinate the party in these negotiations will certainly do everything to ensure the failure of these negotiations. When they claim that they seek the liberation of hostages, that’s a mere lie.”
Sheikh Tamim also denounced Israel over what he called the “genocide” it is committing in Gaza.
The joint Arab League and Organization 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 joint statement from the summit urged “all states to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people,” including “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.”
The statement also urged member states to “coordinate efforts aimed at suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations.”
The communique reiterated collective backing for the Palestinian cause, rejecting forced displacement, settlement expansion, and any attempts to impose a new fait accompli in the Occupied Territories.
It called for urgent humanitarian aid, the reconstruction of Gaza, and accountability for what it described as war crimes, including siege and starvation tactics against civilians.
Leaders also reaffirmed that a just and lasting peace can only be achieved through adherence to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant UN resolutions.
The Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, held its own meeting on the sidelines of the summit. Its members decided to take steps “to activate the mechanisms of joint defense and the Gulf deterrence capabilities,” they said in a statement.
The Gulf states also called on their close ally Washington to use its leverage to rein in Israel following the unprecedented Israeli strikes.
“We also expect our strategic partners in the United States to use their influence on Israel in order for it to stop this behavior... They have leverage and influence on Israel, and it’s about time that this leverage and influence be used,” Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed Al-Budaiwi said in a press conference following the summit.
Alongside Egypt and the United States, Qatar has led mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas in the war in Gaza.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said on Monday that Israel’s current actions hindered any chances of new peace treaties in the Middle East.
In remarks aimed at Israel, he told the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha: “What is happening right now hinders the future of peace, threatens your security and the security of the peoples in the region and adds obstacles to chances for any new peace agreements and even aborts existing ones.”
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman participated in the summit and leaders of the nearly 60-country grouping in Doha included Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
After the summit concluded, Prince Mohammed sent a cable of thanks to the Emir of Qatar.
“We would like to commend the outcomes of the extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the emergency Arab-Islamic Summit,” the cable said.
“These summits affirmed the support of all participating countries for the position of Qatar in confronting the brutal aggression against it, and our absolute rejection of any violation of the principles of international law and norms,” it added.
The United Nations Human Rights Council said it would host an urgent debate on Tuesday on Israel’s air strike targeting Hamas in Qatar.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will arrive in Qatar on Tuesday,
after pledging “unwavering support” for Israel’s goal of eradicating
Hamas during a visit to the country.
The State Department said Rubio would “reaffirm America’s full support
for Qatar’s security and sovereignty” after last week’s strike.
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