Qatar Affirms Israeli Forces' Genocidal War on Gaza Requires International Community Action to Stop

Dr. Ahmad bin Hassan Al Hammadi

The State of Qatar has confirmed that the genocidal war being waged by Israeli forces on the Gaza Strip for over 11 months, which has recently expanded to include the occupied West Bank, poses a serious threat to regional and international peace and security. Adding that the situation requires the international community and its relevant institutions to take urgent measures to stop it.

This statement was made by HE , Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Ahmad bin Hassan Al Hammadi, who is also the State of Qatar's Governor to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during the current session of the IAEA Board of Governors in Vienna, addressing the situation in occupied Palestine.

Dr. Al Hammadi referred to the statement made by the Israeli Minister of Heritage in November 2023 about the intention to use nuclear weapons to eliminate Gaza from the face of the earth, and the statement by the Israeli Finance Minister in August 2024, calling for the use of starvation, a silent and comprehensive weapon, to eliminate two million civilians in Gaza.

In this regard, His Excellency said that these remarks are just examples of the urgent need for the international community to speak with one voice in rejecting these policies and practices that are dragging humanity back to the Dark Ages. He continued that the international community had hoped for the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued on Jul. 19, 2024, which confirmed the illegality of Israeli occupation and that Israel is pursuing a policy of oppressing the Palestinian people in the occupied territories. It stated that Israel must immediately end its presence in the Palestinian territories and compensate for the damages caused.

He added that the ICJ had affirmed that all states must cooperate with the United Nations to implement the necessary measures to ensure the end of the illegal Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and fully realize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination.

HE the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that this advisory opinion from the principal judicial body of the United Nations places the responsibility on the UN General Assembly and the Security Council to seek ways to end the illegal Israeli presence in the Palestinian territories and fully realize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination, including granting Palestine full membership in the United Nations. His Excellency added that it also places responsibility on other UN bodies and agencies, including the IAEA, to not recognize the illegal Israeli presence in the occupied Palestinian territories and to refrain from engaging with it in any way.

Dr. Al Hammadi said that UN member states are called upon to contribute to the full realization of the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and urged those countries that have not yet recognized the State of Palestine to do so without delay.

In conclusion, HE the Secretary-General emphasized that the disasters affecting humanity in recent decades, whether natural or man-made, have led the international community to the conviction that we are all in the same boat. And that for the survival and well-being of all, the rule of law in international relations must prevail without exceptions or double standards.

(QNA)