DOHA, Sept 15: The security of Qatar is a fundamental pillar and integral part of the security of the Arab and Islamic nations, said the Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

This came in His Highness’s speech, which was delivered at the Emergency Arab-Islamic summit being held in Doha. “The occupying forces’ insistence on violating the sovereignty of Arab and Islamic states is a continuation of their escalatory approach, the consequences of which we have long warned,” said His Highness.

His Highness the Amir’s Representative also stressed that the occupation’s behaviour constitutes a clear threat to regional and international security, directly undermines international efforts to establish peace in the region and is a clear disregard for the international system. Further, His Highness called on the international community and the Security Council to fulfil their responsibilities and take serious and effective measures to halt the systematic aggression against the region’s countries and hold the perpetrators accountable. “Since the beginning of the latest Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip nearly two years ago, we have been following the tireless and sincere efforts undertaken by Qatar to stop the bloodshed of the brotherly Palestinian people, to address the war crimes, genocide, and starvation they are being subjected to, and to work towards a ceasefire agreement between all parties,” said His Highness.

His Highness also stressed that the blatant Israeli aggression against Doha is clear evidence of the occupation’s intentions to undermine any efforts to calm the situation and achieve sustainable peace in the region. His Highness the Amir’s Representative reiterated Kuwait’s support for the measures taken by Qatar to preserve its security, stability, sovereignty, and the safety of its citizens and residents.

Meanwhile, Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani reaffirmed his country’s resolve to do whatever necessary to protect its sovereignty and national security in the face of the Israeli occupation aggression. “The extremist government of the Israeli occupation persists in pursuing terrorist and racist policies,” he said in his inaugural speech to the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on Monday. Representative of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah took part in the Summit alongside Arab and Muslim leaders.

Qatari Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said at a treacherous attack targeted an apartment building in the capital city of his county where the family of one the political leaders of Hamas and the movement’s negotiating team were living. “The residential area is home of schools, diplomatic missions,” he said in the opening speech to the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha on Monday.

“The heinous aggression left six martyrs, including a Qatari citizen - a member of the Internal Security Force (ISF), and injured 18 others,” he added. “The citizens and residents of this safe country along with entire world were shocked, not only because this aggression is a blatant and dangerous violation of a state’s sovereignty and a trampling on international conventions and norms, but also because of the special circumstances surrounding this cowardly terrorist act,” Sheikh Tamim regretted. “Qatar, which is thousands of miles away from the location from which the hostile aircraft took off, is making strenuous efforts over the past two years to mediate a peace deal that could put an end to the deadly and destructive war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and secure the release of the Israeli hostages.

“This war has long since turned into a genocide and extermination. “During these negotiations, Doha is hosting delegations from Hamas and Israel. The joint mediation with sisterly Egypt and the United States, has already achieved the release of 135 hostages in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners under two truce deals in 2023 and 2025,” the Qatari leader reminded. Though the Israeli occupation forces resumed the war of aggression, Qatar continued the mediation effort in the hope of achieving a durable ceasefire, releasing of all hostages, ensuring withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza, and releasing of Palestinian prisoners, he went on When Doha came under the treacherous attack of September 9, the political leadership of Hamas were meeting to mull over a US proposal for ceasefire. It is clear that the Israeli occupation authorities were aware of that meeting in a neighborhood frequented by diplomats, journalists, and others.

The Israeli occupation authorities decided to assassinate Hamas negotiators before they finalize response to the US proposal, Sheikh Tamim noted. Blasting the Israeli occupation attack, he said it was impossible to deal with this level of malice and treachery. “Those, who work systematically to assassinate the party with whom they are negotiating, are clearly determined to foil the negotiations. They (the Israeli occupation) claim that their goal is to free their captives, but the attack on Hamas negotiators prove that this claim is false,” he argued. Liberating the Israeli occupation soldiers and citizens is not among the priorities of their leaders; the negotiations are just a ploy to continue the war, Sheikh Tamim affirmed.

Referring to Egypt and Jordan, the Qatari leader said, “Two neighboring countries have signed peace agreements with Israel and are committed to them, and two other countries are committed to the Arab Peace Initiative and are seeking a peaceful settlement to the Middle East conflict.” Had the Israeli occupation authorities accepted the Arab Peace Initiative, the region would have been spared countless tragedies, he added. Qatar is hosting an Emergency Arab- Islamic Summit on Monday, with the participation of several Arab and Islamic leaders -- including the Representative of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah. The participating leaders will review the agenda, reflecting regional solidarity with Qatar against Israeli occupation’s aggression and a unified rejection of actions undermining peace and stability in the region. The summit will conclude with the adoption of a final communique, followed by a press conference highlighting the key outcomes of the meeting.

Arab and Islamic Foreign Ministers convened a preparatory closed-door session in Doha, chaired by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, discussing draft statement on the Israeli occupation’s attack. The Qatari Prime Minister condemned the occupation’s airstrike as a flagrant and reckless violation of the sovereignty of a United Nations and Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) member state, and a peace mediator, describing the act as brutal and unjustifiable.

He expressed appreciation for the solidarity shown by Arab, Islamic, and friendly nations, and their full support for Qatar’s legal measures to safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He reaffirmed Qatar’s continued commitment to peaceful conflict resolution, underlining its ethical and humanitarian obligations and asserting that a just, comprehensive and lasting peace remains a strategic necessity. OIC Secretary General Hussein Taha described the assault on Qatari sovereignty as a dangerous escalation that threatens regional peace and violates international law and United Nations resolutions. He called for intensified efforts to hold the occupation accountable for violations against Qatari sovereignty, as well as for war crimes, illegal settlement activity, and organized terror against the Palestinian people. For his part, Arab League Secretary- General Ahmad Aboul-Gheit affirmed on Monday that the Israeli occupation aggression against Qatar’s sovereignty on September 9 exceeded all limits and violated every humanitarian principle.

This came in a speech AboulGheit delivered at the opening of the emergency Arab-Islamic summit being held in Doha, with the participation of the Representative of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and a number of other leaders. “The attack on security personnel, mediators and negotiators reflects the level of moral decline in relations between countries,” said AboulGheit. (KUNA)