Doha [Qatar], September 16: Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Sunday called on the international community to reject "double standards" and hold Israel accountable, ahead of an emergency summit convened in response to last week's unprecedented Israeli strike on Hamas members in Doha, France 24 reported.
The deadly attack, carried out by one US ally on the territory of another, drew international criticism, including from US President Donald Trump, who nevertheless sent Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel to demonstrate support.
Monday's emergency gathering of Arab and Islamic leaders aims to showcase Gulf unity and increase pressure on Israel amid growing calls 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 described Israel's actions in Gaza as a "war of extermination" that "would not succeed."
"What is encouraging Israel to continue... is the silence, the inability of the international community to hold it accountable," he added, France 24 reported.
Expected attendees at the summit include Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas arrived in Doha on Sunday. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's participation remains uncertain, although he visited Qatar earlier this week in a gesture of neighbourly solidarity.
According to Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari, the meeting will discuss "a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar," France 24 reported.
Experts say the summit will test Gulf states' influence. Elham Fakhro, fellow of Harvard's Middle East Initiative, said Gulf countries are expected to "use the summit to call on Washington to rein in Israel" and seek stronger US security guarantees, citing "the inadequacy of current assurances" undermined by recent events.
Middle East lecturer Karim Bitar, of Paris's Sciences Po University, described the gathering as a "litmus test" for Arab and Muslim leaders, noting that constituents were "sick and tired of the old-style communiques."
He added, "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 check to Israel," France 24 reported.
Qatar hosts the largest US military base in the region and plays a key mediation role in the Israel-Hamas conflict alongside the United States and Egypt. Sheikh Mohammed met with President Trump in the US on Friday.
Hamas politburo member Bassem Naim expressed hope that the summit would produce "a decisive and unified Arab-Islamic position" along with "clear and specific measures" on Israel and the war.
Source: Times of Oman
