Qatar denounced Israel on Sunday, exploring a potential coordinated response to Israel’s attacks on Doha, which was convened by foreign Arab and Muslim ministers to target the leadership of Hamas militant groups.
“We would like to thank the brothers and brothers for condemning this wild Israeli attack and for the solidarity of the Islamic and friendly countries of the international community,” Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullan al-Thani said on Sunday.
“It has expressed full support for us and the legitimate legal action we will take to maintain our country’s sovereignty.”
Sheikh Mohammed, who also serves as Qatar’s Foreign Minister, made a comment on Monday before an emergency meeting of leaders of those countries. During his weekend visit to Washington, Arni Tani reportedly met special envoy Steve Witkoff, Vice President J.D. V. V. D. Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and President Trump.
He said Qatar relies on working with the US and Egypt to reach a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas War. However, he said the Israeli strike that killed six people (five Hamas members and members of the local Qatari security forces) described “an attack on the principles of mediation.”
“This attack can only be explained as a national terrorism, an approach pursued by the current extremist Israeli government.
“A reckless and dangerous Israeli invasion was committed while Qatar was holding official and public negotiations with the aim of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, with knowledge of the Israeli side itself.”
Sheikh Mohammed emphasized that moment occurred in Israel’s attacks in the wider Middle East. “It’s time for the international community to suspend the application of double standards and punish Israel for all crimes committed,” Sheikh Mohammed said in footage later announced by the Qatar government from the closure meeting.
Summit warns Israel about “normalizing tie”
Meanwhile, media reports on Sunday alleged that Arab and Islamic state leaders warned Qatar and other “Israel strikes against hostile conduct pose a threat to regional attempts to normalize relations and peace.
According to an excerpt from the resolution cited in the media, the leader said, “The brutal Israeli attacks on Qatar and the continued hostile actions of Israel, including genocide, ethnic cleansing, hunger, siege, colonization activities and expansion policies, threaten the prospects of peace and coexistence in the region.”
These actions, according to the draft, threaten “all achieved on the path to normalizing relations with Israel, including current and future agreements.”
Ahead of Sunday’s summit, Arab League President Ahmed Abour Gate criticized Israel separately, warning that “silence in the face of crime… will pave the way for more crime.”
There was no immediate response from Israel, hosting Secretary of State Marco Rubio this weekend. However, on Saturday night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu once again defended the strike.
“The Hamas terrorist chiefs who live in Qatar don’t care about the people of Gaza,” he posted on X.
Qatar, an energy-rich country on the Arabian Peninsula, a major regional mediator in the conflict, has long housed a senior Hamas leader at US request, giving Israel direct communication with extremist groups that have long ruled Gaza.
However, hardliners in the Netanyahu administration have increasingly criticized Qatar, just as the Israeli-Hamas conflict continues.
Since the attack in Qatar, Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to attack all those responsible for the Hamas-led attack on Israel in 2023, stating that Qatar is still a potential target if Hamas leader is present.
