Closed meetings and discussions have begun in Doha among foreign ministers from the Arab League and Organisation for Islamic Co-operation on how to respond to Israel's expansionist actions in the region, after strikes on Qatar.
In his opening speech, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman said there could be “no leniency” in dealing with Israel's “barbaric” attack, which set a dangerous precedent and was an illustration that Israel had “no red lines”.
“The time is now to stop the double standard and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed and for it to know that the ethnic cleansing committed against the Palestinians will not be successful,” he said. Israel has only been “encouraged” by the international community's failure to act, he added.
Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that “silence on a crime is a crime”.
“What we need to seek to do today is to hold those accountable for war crimes from the killing of civilians to starving a population and destroying an entire community in Gaza,” he said.
Preparations for the Arab-Islamic emergency summit kicked off less than a week after Israel struck Doha in an unprecedented attack not only on a Gulf state, but on a vital US ally that plays host to the largest US base in the region. Five members of Hamas and a Qatari security force member were killed in the Israeli attack, which Qatar called “state terrorism”.
Condemnations of Israel's actions poured in from Gulf, Arab, Western states and the UN Security Council, but Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down. He called on Qatar to expel the Hamas officials residing in Doha or “bring them to justice”, adding: “If you don't, we will.”
The UAE summoned Israel's deputy ambassador to Abu Dhabi over the attack and Mr Netanyahu's “hostile” statements.
A draft of the final resolution expected to be adopted at the Doha summit says Israel's attack on Qatar and its "genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, blockade and expansionist settlement and political activities" undermine the prospects of normalisation with Israel, including current and future agreements.
Although broad, the statement, seen by The National, appears to refer to Israel's hopes for normalisation with Saudi Arabia and the current Abraham Accords to which Bahrain, the UAE and Morocco are signatories.
The resolution, which is subject to amendment before the summit ends on Monday, also welcomes a "shared vision for Arab security" between Arab and Muslim states.
Prince Turki Al Faisal, former Saudi ambassador to the UK and US, expressed his hope that the summit will draw condemnation from the participating countries to “punish Israel for its heinous and genocidal actions in Gaza and also for its deliberately treacherous attack on Qatar”.
He added that economic sanctions should be imposed on Israel and questioned the US's credibility, given its ironclad support for the country. “The credibility of the US is at a crossroads in the Arab and Muslim worlds.”
One possible outcome of Sunday's discussions, which are taking place behind closed doors, is the revival of a Nato-style joint Arab military force.
The proposal to create a united military force was first presented by Egypt at a 2015 Arab summit held in Sharm El Sheikh. It was adopted in principle, but progress was not made in follow-up meetings, reportedly because of differences over a command structure and headquarters for the force.
While foreign ministers at the Arab-Islamic emergency summit continue to discuss the best path forward, the other question that remains is the US's position between two of its allies at odds: Qatar and Israel. Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman had just returned from a trip to Washington where he met President Donald Trump, the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the US envoy to the region, Steve Witkoff.
Mr Trump said he was “unhappy” with Israel's strike, but stopped short of outright rebuking Mr Netanyahu. Soon after, Mr Rubio landed in Israel to discuss “Middle East security”, but before his departure doubled down on his country's support for Israel despite the disapproval of the US for the strike on Doha.
“It’s not going to change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis, but we are going to have to talk about it – primarily, what impact does this have” on continuing Gaza truce efforts, he told reporters.
But Israel has been accused of derailing, if not entirely crushing, diplomatic efforts for peace in Gaza after assassinating Hamas's chief negotiator Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last year and attacking the group's leaders in Doha.
The group was discussing the latest US proposal for a deal when it came under Israeli attack. Qatar has been a vital mediator between Israel and Hamas since the war in Gaza broke out in October 2023.
Mr Netanyahu has insinuated that he will continue to go after Hamas officials abroad, posing a threat not only to Qatar but also to Turkey, which hosts several of the group's officials.
