TRANSCRIPT
Arab and Islamic leaders have gathered in the Qatari capital for an emergency summit in response to Israel’s airstrike on Hamas officials in Doha last week.
The attack, which killed five senior Hamas figures and a Qatari security official, has prompted fierce denunciations across the region.
Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, opened the summit with unusually forceful remarks.
He accuses Israel of seeking regional dominance under the guise of democracy.
“This attack on our sovereignty is that the head of the Israeli government, who claims to have changed the Middle East in the last two years, really means that Israel will intervene in any place it wants and whenever it wants. It dreams that the Arab region will become an area of Israeli influence, this is a dangerous illusion.”
He went further, accusing Israel of building what he called a system of oppression.
“Israel claims that it is a democratic country surrounded by enemies. In fact, it is building a system of occupation and an unfair division that is equal to its surrounding. It is fighting a war of slavery that is covered by crimes that do not know the red lines.”
Other leaders followed with equally fiery words.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel must be cut off diplomatically and economically.
“Words won't end the genocide. We must isolate the aggressor. We must cut the flow of supplies and arms to it and hold its leaders accountable in courts of justice. ... The attack on Doha changed lots of miscalculations and wrong ideas. It showed that no Arab or Muslim country is safe from the aggression of the regime in Tel Aviv. Tomorrow it can be any Arab or Muslim capital's turn." ... It's time to start holding the aggressors accountable and punishing them.”
Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is calling on the Islamic world to apply economic pressure.
“We must intensify our diplomatic efforts to increase sanctions against Israel and use international legal mechanisms to hold Israeli officials accountable before justice. ... I believe that Israel should also be squeezed economically, as previous experience shows that such steps yield results. ... With God's permission, the Islamic world has the wisdom and means to thwart Israel's expansionist ambitions.”
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi focused on the need for coordinated regional action.
He is also calling for a unified Arab-Muslim force to counteract regional aggression.
“It has become incumbent upon us at this delicate historical moment to establish an Arab–Islamic mechanism for coordination and cooperation that enables us all to face the major security, political and economic challenges surrounding us. Establishing such a mechanism now is the way to strengthen our front and our capacity to confront the present challenges, and to take the necessary steps to protect our security and safeguard our shared interests.”
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is demanding Israel be held responsible for what he calls crimes.
“In light of Israel’s ongoing aggression against Palestine and its repeated attacks on Arab and Islamic countries, most recently among them, Qatar, the extreme right-wing government in Israel cannot be a partner in security and stability in our region. This necessitates a decisive Arab and Islamic stance as well as intervention by the United States and the United Nations Security Council to stop these rogue practices by the occupying state.”
Alongside the larger summit, the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council held a separate session.
GCC Secretary-General Jassim al-Badawi says Gulf leaders have called for urgent military consultations.
“It was confirmed in the announcement of this extraordinary summit that their Majesties and Highnesses, the leaders of the GCC states, may God protect and preserve them, had directed the Joint Defence Council and the Supreme Military Committee to hold an urgent meeting in Doha. The goal is to assess the defence situation and to activate the mechanisms of joint defence and the Gulf deterrence capabilities.”
Meanwhile, in Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed the criticism.
Speaking to a large delegation of US politicians, he accused Qatar and China of orchestrating a campaign against Israel.
“There is an active effort ... to besiege Israel, besiege Israel ... that is orchestrated by the same forces that supported Iran's effort to put a military siege on us and ultimately choke us. ... One is China, and the other is Qatar, and they are organising an attack on Israel legitimacy in the social media of the Western world and the United States. We will have to counter it, and we will counter it with our own efforts.”
This comes as large blasts and flashes were seen from southern Israel across the Gaza skyline as Israel appears to push deeper into Gaza City, pushing fleeing Palestinians south.
UN human rights experts accuse Israel of committing genocide in Gaza*, warning that the international community’s failure to act is enabling atrocities and eroding the global legal order.
Francesca Albanese is the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza.
“No space is safe for Palestinians, but no space is safe for international law under under this brutal occupation, and behind every statistic is a human life, a story cut short, a family broken, the trauma and grief will last generations. Meanwhile, far too many states continue to look away, normalise the suffering and even profit from it. Arms trade and diplomatic engagement with Israel continue unabated, and this is not just morally wrong. This is unlawful. As I argued in my last report to the Human Rights Council, this genocide has become profitable, unfortunately, not just for some corrupt private entities.”
Israel vehemently denies it is committing genocide, stating instead that Hamas is stealing the aid it provides.
