Qatar’s emir calls for establishment of Palestinian state, Gaza ceasefire at summit
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani has once again called for the establishment of a “sovereign and independent” Palestinian state existing side by side with Israel.
Speaking at the first summit between EU and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) leaders in Brussels, the Qatari emir also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied West Bank.
“The destructive war waged by Israel today on Palestine and Lebanon made war crimes as something normal. That is something that we cannot accept,” he said.
“We need a settlement for these conflicts. We need to find a solution to the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy and of the 1967 borders. … A ceasefire would be a first step before a serious round of negotiations for a definite solution to the Palestinian cause.”
Jordan ‘playing a crucial role’ in humanitarian assistance
Jordan has a very difficult position and also a lot of space to manoeuvre politically. On the one hand, it is geographically attached to Palestine. It is directly affected by what’s going on in Gaza, in the occupied West Bank.
But it’s also been playing a fundamental, crucial role in the humanitarian assistance effort – not just in Gaza but also in Lebanon. It’s also meeting all sides, including the Iranian foreign minister, who met today with his counterpart here in Amman and also with the king of Jordan.
And what was on the agenda at the summit in Brussels was not just the potential for an Israeli strike but also the need to calm down the region – to bring the temperature down – to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon, which are all really interconnected.
What’s happening in Brussels now would bring a lot of comfort to the Jordanian government here, to the Jordanian king, because they agree with what was said by the emir of Qatar.
Qatari prime minister says international law has been undermined
Addressing a summit between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani emphasised the need for a two-state solution and warned that Israel’s war on Gaza has undermined the vitality of international law.
- Al Thani said there was “common agreement” in discussions about the need for a two-state solution and an end to the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.
- Said that a ceasefire was needed to end the regional fighting and should have happened “a long time ago”.
- Underscored the importance of “safeguarding the law-based world order” which has been “unfortunately undermined” by recent events.
- Called for an end to “aggression against the Lebanese people” especially civilians who have been displaced in growing numbers over the last several weeks.
- Said that Lebanon’s “political vacuum” must be addressed by having presidential elections and supporting Lebanon’s armed forces.
That's a bit of an understatement. International law has been taken behind the shed, shot dead and buried.
Qatari prime minister says there have been no Gaza ceasefire talks for weeks
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani said that there has been no engagement in ceasefire talks over the last three to four weeks for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has vowed to continue fighting.
“On the prospects of the negotiation … basically in the last three to four weeks, there is no conversation or engagement at all, and we are just moving in the same circle with the silence from all parties,” Al Thani told reporters at a summit between the EU and Gulf Cooperation Council.
