CAIRO – Assistant Secretary-General and head of the Media and Communication Sector at the Arab League (AL) ambassador Ahmed Rashid Khattabi affirmed that the extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit to be held in Doha Monday is a message of solidarity to stop the Israeli aggression.
The summit comes at a time when Arab and Islamic public opinion is looking forward to a firm stand against this aggression, within an encouraging international context marked by growing support during the 80th session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly.
According to the AL official such momentum would strengthen the dynamics of charting a political horizon for the Palestinian cause based on the two-state solution within an environment of peace, security and stability.
In a statement Sunday, Khattabi said, that the current developments in the Middle East- especially in light of stances at the UN General Assembly in support of the international declaration on the two-state solution and the Security Council meeting following the Israeli attack on Qatar-demonstrate Israel’s growing isolation within the international community.
He added that, after nearly two years of war on the Gaza Strip and its catastrophic consequences, the world has come to recognize truths that Israel’s false narrative had long sought to obscure since the events of October 7. The vote at the General Assembly in favor of this international declaration carries both political and moral symbolism, embodying a clear collective will to support the Palestinian cause, in accordance with established references and pathways.
Khattabi said the overwhelming support for this resolution, which was welcomed by the pan-Arab body, constitutes a deeply significant diplomatic achievement and a bold, practical step by the international community toward ending the war on Gaza, and the associated acts of genocide, starvation, humiliation, displacement and forced expulsion.
He noted that, after eight decades of oppression on the Palestinian people and attempts to erase their national identity-which has reached an unbearable peak with the current catastrophe in Gaza, alongside repeated incursions and settlement plans in the West Bank – the moment of decision has come, without further delay, to enable the Palestinian people to establish their independent state and to find a sustainable solution to the conflict, based on the two-state vision, away from extremist ideologies, expansionist ambitions, and outdated myths that disregard international laws, norms and historical constants.
Khattabi said Gaza, which Israel has turned into a graveyard for thousands of innocent people, must not also become a graveyard for international and humanitarian law, whose credibility has been eroded and is now at stake due to this atrocious war. He stressed that the historic General Assembly session must be translated into concrete action through the involvement of all international actors.
He also said the international support for Qatar reflects a genuine recognition of the gravity of the blatant attack on the sovereignty of this Arab state, the flagrant violation of its territorial integrity, and the unjust denigration of its trusted role in humanitarian work, mediation, peacebuilding and conflict resolution across multiple regions, particularly in the Middle East. All drives, he said, has rightfully solidified Qatar’s international standing in service of the principles of harmony and coexistence
He added that, in line with this approach, Qatar- alongside Egypt and the US- has worked to facilitate prisoner-exchange operations in accordance with international humanitarian law, with Qatari diplomacy exerting tireless and patient efforts to carry out this difficult mission, despite the devastating war that has led to the total collapse of public infrastructure, the means of livelihood, and caused thousands of martyrs, victims and injured.
