Qatar participated in the emergency ministerial meeting of the Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question, on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly in New York. HE the Minister of State for International Co-operation Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser al-Misnad represented Qatar at the meeting.

In a statement to the meeting, HE al-Misnad affirmed Qatar's adherence to the Islamic Group's statement. She said that experience has confirmed that mediation and diplomacy are the only way to resolve disputes, noting that the joint efforts made by Qatar, Egypt, and the US to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip were widely appreciated and the Security Council recognised their importance in its Resolution 2735 (2024).

However, these efforts suffered a treacherous blow when an Israeli air strike targeted a residential area in Doha on Sept 9, resulting in civilian casualties, including the martyr Bader al-Dosari, 22, and the injury of 18 others, she added. HE al-Misnad stressed that the Israeli attack on a mediating state is not only a flagrant violation of its sovereignty, international humanitarian law, and the UN Charter, but also a direct assault on the principle of mediation itself and an undermining of dialogue as an option for resolving conflicts.

She said that protecting mediators and negotiators is not just a political issue, but rather a fundamental pillar of maintaining international peace and security. She noted that international solidarity with Qatar was evident, both through the Security Council statement issued on Sept 11 and at the Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha, all of which emphasised that this Israeli attack poses a serious threat to regional security and undermines prospects for peace and calm efforts.

HE al-Misnad noted that this month, particularly during the High-Level Week, witnessed the crystallisation of an unprecedented international consensus in support of a peaceful settlement of the Palestinian issue and the two-state solution based on international law and international legitimacy resolutions.

She indicated that this consensus was evident in the statements made by heads of state and government before the General Assembly's general debate, and at the ministerial conference co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France, with the participation of Qatar at the highest level. Several countries announced their recognition of the State of Palestine, completing the international drive to resolve the longest-standing issues at the UN.

The Security Council, by virtue of its basic mandate, bears full responsibility for taking the necessary measures to halt the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, prevent genocide and forced displacement, and adopt a binding resolution under Chapter VII to ensure Israel's compliance with its resolutions and impose an immediate ceasefire.

HE al-Misnad emphasised that a just, comprehensive, and lasting peace in the Middle East will not be achieved by ignoring the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people or by imposing a fait accompli by force, but rather by adhering to the Arab Peace Initiative and relevant international legitimacy resolutions.

From this platform, we call on the international community, especially the Security Council, to assume its legal and moral responsibilities and adopt practical steps to establish a binding timetable for ending the Israeli occupation and ensuring full recognition of the State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, she added.

She urged the UN to activate all its mechanisms to achieve an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, ensure unconditional access for humanitarian aid, lift the siege, protect mediators and mediation efforts as an essential tool for resolving conflicts, and work to achieve a final political settlement based on the two-state solution, ensuring international security and stability.