An Arab-Islamic leaders summit in Doha on Monday is expected to rally support for Qatar in the wake of last week’s Israeli attack targeting Hamas in the Gulf state.
Israel targeted Hamas leaders on Tuesday in strikes on the Qatari capital, killing five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer. The attack drew widespread international condemnation, including from Gulf monarchies allied with the United States, Israel’s main backer.
A draft of the resolution that will be considered by heads of state condemned Israel’s attack as a destabilising escalation and said the states opposed Israel’s “plans to impose a new reality in the region”.
The draft, which was seen by Reuters, did not mention any diplomatic or economic moves against Israel. The resolution may change before the leaders meet in Doha on Monday.
The attack has prompted US-allied Gulf Arab states to close ranks, adding to strains in ties between the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel, which normalised relations in 2020.
The emergency summit, bringing together members of the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), began with a meeting of foreign ministers on Sunday to craft the draft resolution.
The gathering is a message that “Qatar is not alone … and that Arab and Islamic states stand by it,” Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the Asharq al-Awsat newspaper.
Earlier today, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Doha on Sunday to attend a ministerial meeting ahead of an emergency summit of Arab and Muslim leaders on Israel’s attack on Qatar.
Dar will “lead Pakistan’s delegation to the ministerial meeting ahead of the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit”, a statement by the Foreign Office (FO) said.
Upon arrival, the deputy PM was received by Pakistan’s Ambassador to Qatar Muhammad Aamer, Pakistan’s envoy to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and senior officials of the Qatari government.
The Arab-Islamic summit — held under the umbrella of the 57-member OIC — is expected to draw heads of state and governments, along with senior officials, from across the Muslim world. PM Shehbaz Sharif is also set to attend the high-level moot.
“The summit, cosponsored by Pakistan, has been convened in the wake of Israel’s airstrikes on Doha and the escalating developments in Palestine — following Israeli attempts to occupy Gaza, expand settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and forcibly displace the Palestinians,“ an FO statement said yesterday.
Diplomats said more than 50 OIC member states are expected to attend the Doha summit, where leaders may also weigh in on pushing Palestinian statehood at the upcoming UN General Assembly session in New York.
On the sidelines of the preparatory foreign ministers’ meeting, Dar today met with Egypt’s FM Dr Badr Abdelatty.
“They condemned illegal Israeli strikes on Qatar and other Muslim nations, terming them blatant violations of sovereignty and international law. Both reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and stressed the urgent need for unity across the Muslim ummah,” FO said in a statement.
Dar aslo with his Iranian counterpart, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on the sidelines of the meeting.
According to the FO, they strongly condemned Israel’s unprovoked strikes on Qatar and other Muslim nations, terming them grave violations of sovereignty, international law, and the UN Charter.
“Both (leaders) underscored the pivotal role of the Arab League and the OIC in uniting the Muslim Ummah at this critical juncture and reaffirmed their unwavering support for the Palestinian people’s just struggle for freedom and self-determination,” the FO statement read.
Dar further met with with Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Dato’ Seri Mohamad Hasan on the sidelines of the meeting.
“They strongly condemned Israeli strikes on Qatar and other Muslim nations as gross violations of sovereignty and international law,” the FO said.
“They reaffirmed unwavering support for the Palestinian cause and emphasized the vital importance of unity across the Muslim Ummah. They welcomed the Arab Islamic Summit as timely and essential for collective action at this critical juncture.”
‘Matter of grave concern’
Analysts say tomorrow’s Arab-Islamic summit is meant to send Israel a clear signal. Pakistan has been vocal in its criticism of Israel, especially taking the centre stage at a recent United Nations Security Council meeting, where it engaged in a heated debate with Israel.
“Repeated Israeli attacks against sovereign states in the region are a matter of grave concern, not only for the Muslim ummah but also for the wider international community,” FO spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told reporters on Friday.
Following the attack, PM Shehbaz undertook a one-day visit to Doha, where he met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani to denounce the Israeli action and show solidarity with the Gulf state.
Qatar plays a mediation role in Israel’s recent war on Gaza alongside the US and Egypt. It hosts the largest US base in the region, and also recently gave US President Donald Trump a luxury Boeing 747-8 jet to use as his presidential plane.
For the first time in recent memory, the US joined all 15 UNSC members in condemning the Israeli strike during Thursday’s emergency meeting. The US has historically shielded Israel from statements of condemnation by not endorsing them, but on Thursday, it opted not to veto the joint statement.
Despite ongoing tensions, Trump on Friday held a dinner with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani in New York.
The US president has said he was “very unhappy” about the Israeli attack on Qatar. However, earlier today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said it was “not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis”.
