Emergency Summit of Arab League and Organization for Islamic Cooperation Issues Statement
Sept. 19—The Sept. 15 emergency summit of Arab and Persian nations, called in response to Israel’s Sept. 9 attack on Doha, which targeted Hamas negotiators and leaders, issued a final communiqué the next day
It reaffirms the “collective duty to respond to this aggression in defense of our common security” and stresses that “the absence of international accountability, and the silence of the international community in the face of repeated Israeli violations, have emboldened Israel to persist in its aggressions and to further entrench its flagrant violations of international law and international legitimacy.”
It also states that Israel’s actions, “including crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation and siege, as well as settlement activities and expansionist policies, undermine prospects for peace and peaceful coexistence in the region.”
The communiqué declares that Israel’s aggression against Qatar, which is acting as the principal mediator between Israel and Hamas “constitutes a grave escalation and an assault on diplomatic efforts to restore peace. Such an attack on a neutral venue for mediation not only violates Qatar’s sovereignty but also undermines international mediation and peace-making processes.”
The statement calls on the international community to “condemn [Israeli threats of future targeting] in the strongest possible terms and take deterrent measures to halt them.” Israel’s actions “have caused an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe, whereby siege, starvation, and deprivation of civilians of food and medicine are used as weapons of war against the Palestinian people.”
It condemns “any Israeli attempts to forcibly displace the Palestinian people, under any pretext or designation” and warns of “catastrophic consequences” of Israeli annexation of Palestinian land.
The League of Arab States and Organization for Islamic Cooperation call for the international community to take action “to halt Israel’s repeated aggressions in the region and to stop its ongoing violations of the sovereignty, security, and stability of States.” Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza, illegal settlements in the West Bank, and its strikes against Lebanon, Syria, and Iran are cited.
Specifically they “Call upon all States to take all possible legal and effective measures to prevent Israel from continuing its actions against the Palestinian people, including by supporting efforts to end its impunity, holding it accountable for its violations and crimes, imposing sanctions on it, suspending the supply, transfer, or transit of weapons, ammunition, and military materials—including dual-use items—reviewing diplomatic and economic relations with it, and initiating legal proceedings against it.”
They further urge for suspending Israel’s membership in the United Nations and for cooperation with the ICC to enforce its arrest warrants.
It affirms that “a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East will not be achieved by bypassing the Palestinian Cause, ignoring the rights of the Palestinian people, or through violence and targeting mediators.”
Sources close to the White House report that some "fancy dancing" took place, led by Qatar, to prevent the resolution from stepping into the weeds, and going after the backers of Israeli genocide, and including the United States in that group. The sources say that President Donald Trump supports the thrust of the communique and that it reflects his anger at the Israeli government and its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu. His thoughts were communicated to the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bib Jassim Al Thani when they met for dinner in New York City Sept. 12.