Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has condemned Israel's “brutal aggression against the brotherly state of Qatar” in an annual royal speech.
Prince Mohammed said countries in the Arab and Islamic world and beyond should act to confront Israel's aggression, a day after an Israeli air strike on Doha. Addressing the advisory Shura Council as it opened a new session, the Crown Prince said measures were needed to deter Israel from “criminal practices that destabilise the region's security and stability".
“We will stand with our brotherly state of Qatar in all the measures it takes without limits, and we will dedicate all our capabilities to this end,” he said in a speech he delivered on behalf of Saudi Arabia's King Salman.
Israel launched an unprecedented strike on Doha on Tuesday in an attempt to kill Hamas leaders. Although the attack killed several people, including a Qatari security officer, Hamas said its senior leadership survived.
The attack on Qatari soil has been condemned by regional powers, marking a new escalation in the region since the Gaza war broke out almost two years ago. Several Arab leaders were holding calls and meetings on Wednesday to discuss the attack.
Israel targets Hamas leadership in attack on Doha – in pictures
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A damaged building following an Israeli attack on Hamas leaders, in Doha, Qatar. Reuters -
Smoke rises after several blasts were heard in Doha. Reuters -
Israel says it carried out a 'precise strike' on a site where Hamas negotiators have been discussing Gaza ceasefire proposals. Reuters -
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was a "wholly independent Israeli operation". AFP -
The Israeli army said it used 'precise munitions' to mitigate harm to civilians in Doha. Reuters -
Majid Al Ansari, Qatar's Foreign Ministry spokesman, said the 'cowardly Israeli attack' had targeted residential buildings 'housing several members of the political bureau of Hamas' in Doha. Reuters
In his speech, Prince Mohammed condemned Israel's “ongoing brutal attacks on the brotherly Palestinian people in Gaza and its persistence in committing crimes of starvation and forced displacement” against residents of the enclave.
Israel has defied global pleas for a ceasefire by embarking on a new assault on Gaza city, destroying high-rise buildings in daily bombardments. The UN last month confirmed that parts of Gaza are in a state of famine after months-long Israeli restrictions on aid. The war has set back hopes of a Saudi peace process with Israel as the kingdom says the Palestinian issue must be resolved first.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also alarmed Arab governments by musing openly about Palestinians being permanently exiled from Gaza. The Israeli army has stepped up pressure on residents to leave Gaza city, ordering them to move south to an uncertain fate. Prince Mohammed said that “the land of Gaza is Palestinian, and the rights of its people are steadfast, not to be taken away by aggression or nullified by threats”.
He said the Arab Peace Initiative, launched by Saudi Arabia in 2002, sets an unprecedented path to achieving a Palestinian state. He said the kingdom's efforts have borne fruit in increasing the number of countries recognising the state of Palestine amid a new push for a two-state solution.
The Arab Peace Initiative offers full diplomatic ties between Israel and the Arab world in exchange for a complete withdrawal from territories occupied since 1967, a just solution for Palestinian refugees, and the establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital. Israel has long rejected the proposal.
