Palestine occupies a significant place in Qatar's foreign policy and the country has promptly acted on the Israel-Gaza crisis, HE the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz al-Khulaifi told Doha Forum 2023 on Monday.
While addressing a session on 'Palestine Has Become a Global Crisis - Does It Have a Global Solution? he explained that Qatar speaks through action, not just words while demonstrating the country’s commitment to peace by actively engaging in conflict resolution from day one of the conflict.
“We are disappointed that the Security Council failed to secure a ceasefire despite the UN Secretary-General invoking Article 99 to prompt decisive action,” Dr al-Khulaifi said noting that there is a need to find a resolution to the current situation. “A ceasefire is a must,” he said.
Dr Husam Zomlot, the Head of the Palestinian Mission to the UK, called for international intervention in the issue and urged steps to recognise the rights of Palestinians.
“We must leave the question of who will govern to the Palestinian people. The issue in Gaza is not just the slaughter. It’s the mass degradation and humiliation of an entire nation. Think of fathers and mothers who can't provide basic services for their children,” he said.
“This is the first time Israel has applied the concept of equality in terms of its mass murder of our people. The normalisation of mass murder will haunt our humanity,” he added.
Daniel Levy, president of the US / Middle East Project noted that there are Jewish voices who are saying, ‘not in my name’. “Things will get worse the more the US indulges Israel. Israel has been on a clear trajectory towards more extremism,” he said.
Dr Comfort Ero, president and CEO of International Crisis Group, criticised the international community by saying “silence in the face of destruction has a cost”. “The day of reckoning for those who remained complicit in Gaza's suffering is inevitable,” she said.
Dr Huiyao Wang, founder and president of the Centre for China and Globalisation, said China wants to see a ceasefire, provide humanitarian aid, protect civilians and amplify the diplomatic intervention. The session was moderated by Becky Anderson, managing editor and anchor of CNN's Connect the World.
