Qatar Prime Minister Calls on World to Reject ‘Double Standards’ and Hold Israel Accountable

Qatar’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, has called on the international community to reject “double standards” and punish Israel for its actions, speaking on the eve of an emergency summit convened in response to an unprecedented Israeli strike on Hamas members in Doha.

The strike, carried out by one US ally on the territory of another, drew widespread condemnation, including a rebuke from former US President Donald Trump, who nevertheless sent Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel in a show of solidarity.

Monday’s summit, bringing together Arab and Islamic leaders, is expected to demonstrate unity among Gulf states while increasing pressure on Israel to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Sheikh Mohammed told a preparatory meeting on Sunday. He added that Israel’s “war of extermination” in Gaza would not succeed.

“What is encouraging Israel to continue… is the silence, the inability of the international community to hold it accountable.”

Several prominent figures are expected to attend the meeting:

It remains uncertain whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, will attend.

According to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman, Majed al-Ansari, the summit will consider “a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar.”

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told Al Jazeera that Israel’s actions are no longer a purely Palestinian issue: “The biggest problem right now is Israeli expansionism in the region. Arab and Islamic countries must come together and find a solution based on this newly defined problem.”

Elham Fakhro, fellow of Harvard’s Middle East Initiative, noted that Gulf states are expected to call on Washington to rein in Israel: “They will also seek stronger US security guarantees, on the basis that Israel’s actions expose the inadequacy of current assurances and have undermined US credibility as a security partner.”

Karim Bitar, Middle East lecturer at Paris’s Sciences Po University, described the summit as a “litmus test” for Arab and Muslim leaders: “What they are expecting today is that these countries… send a very important signal not only to Israel but also to the United States that time has come for the international community to stop giving this blank cheque to Israel.”

Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the region and has served as a key mediator in the Israel-Hamas conflict alongside the United States and Egypt. Sheikh Mohammed met with President Trump in the United States on Friday.

Hamas politburo member Bassem Naim stated that the militant movement, whose October 2023 attack on Israel sparked the Gaza war, hopes the summit will produce “a decisive and unified Arab-Islamic position.”

Summary Table: Key Points of Qatar Summit