Qatar has called for international law to be applied without selectivity or double standards, stressing that restoring trust in global institutions requires an end to crimes against the Palestinian people and accountability for those responsible.
Addressing a high-level meeting on upholding international law on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Adviser to the Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Dr Majed bin Mohammed al-Ansari said the credibility of the international legal system depended on its consistent application.
He reaffirmed Qatar’s unwavering commitment to the UN Charter and the principles of international law, particularly the sovereign equality of states and the peaceful settlement of disputes.
Dr al-Ansari stressed the importance of accountability for violations of international law, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories, and reaffirmed the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and an independent state based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Restoring confidence in international institutions, he said, required halting the ongoing crimes against Palestinians, who continued to suffer from the expansion of the occupation and the denial of their most basic right to life.
He cited restrictions on aid deliveries, ongoing assassinations and daily targeting, as well as attacks on paramedics, aid workers and journalists, stressing that perpetrators must not escape punishment.
Dr al-Ansari said His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani had clearly articulated this principle in his address to the UN General Assembly, calling on the international community to demonstrate its seriousness in upholding values and the rule of law.
HH the Amir had emphasised that the law must apply equally to all, otherwise it lost its meaning when enforced against the weak while the strong were exempted.
Dr al-Ansari said Qatar’s principled positions, consistent with international law and international legitimacy, were closely linked to its diplomatic approach, with mediation and the peaceful settlement of disputes forming a firm pillar of its foreign policy.
Qatar’s efforts extended beyond mediation and facilitating dialogue between conflicting parties to include humanitarian responses to suffering caused by wars and natural disasters, alongside support for human development across the region and beyond.
He stressed that peace was a mission for the entire world, which no single state or group of states could monopolise or claim exclusive stewardship over.
He called for stronger joint action and the development of global peace supply chains, through which the components of peace could be created and brought together through multilateral mechanisms and international partnerships for the benefit of humanity.
Dr al-Ansari reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to these principles and its support for multilateral co-operation, dialogue and peaceful solutions grounded in international law and the purposes and principles of the UN Charter.