Extraordinary Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League Begins in Doha
The joint extraordinary summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League began on Monday in Doha, the capital of Qatar, with the participation of leaders and officials from member states. The meeting is dedicated to addressing Israel’s September 9 attack on the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar, as well as Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank, including occupation, annexation, and what has been described as genocide.
At the opening ceremony, after a group photo was taken, the leaders of the participating countries proceeded to the conference hall.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, in his speech, emphasized the need to focus diplomatic efforts on increasing sanctions against Israel, stating that “this regime must also be put under economic pressure.” He described the recent attack on the Hamas negotiating team as an escalation of Israel’s “piracy” policy and announced that Türkiye is ready to share its defense industry capabilities with Islamic countries. Erdoğan added that efforts will continue until a Palestinian state is established based on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the attack showed that no Arab or Islamic country is safe from Israeli aggression, adding, “Tomorrow it could be the turn of any Arab or Islamic capital.” He stated that the move was aimed at destroying diplomatic efforts to end the war in Gaza and was the result of decades of Israeli impunity. Pezeshkian referred to the International Court of Justice ruling that Israel’s actions constitute genocide, noting that the scope of these actions has now reached Qatari soil.
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, in his speech, described Israel’s attack as “treacherous” and said that the residences of the families of Hamas leaders and their negotiating team had been targeted. He stressed that Israel had targeted a mediating country that was working to stop the war and secure the release of prisoners. The Emir of Qatar added that the attack took place while the Hamas leadership was reviewing a U.S. proposal mediated by Qatar and Egypt. He said Israel’s actions were clearly aimed at sabotaging the negotiations and that the regime seeks to make Gaza uninhabitable and displace its population.
The Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation described the summit as an opportunity to adopt a unified stance against Israeli aggression and strongly condemned the attack. He called on the UN Security Council to hold Israel accountable for its crimes and reaffirmed support for the two-state solution.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Israel’s attack on Qatar’s sovereignty violated all human principles and that international law prohibits targeting mediators. He called on the international community to end its silence over Israel’s crimes in Gaza.
