Qatar PM urges world to punish Israel

DOHA, Qatar (AFP) — Qatar’s prime minister urged the international community on Sunday to reject “double standards” and hold Israel accountable, speaking on the eve of an emergency summit called in response to an unprecedented Israeli strike on Hamas members in Doha.

The deadly attack — carried out by one United States ally on the territory of another — sparked a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from President Donald Trump, who nonetheless dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel in a show of support.

Monday’s emergency gathering of Arab and Islamic leaders will serve as a pointed show of unity among Gulf countries and seek to pile more pressure on Israel, which is already facing mounting calls to bring an end to the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

“The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting on Sunday, adding Israel’s “war of extermination” in Gaza would not succeed.

“What is encouraging Israel to continue... is the silence, the inability of the international community to hold it accountable.”

Among the leaders expected at Monday’s summit are Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas arrived in Doha on Sunday.

It remains to be seen whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, will attend the gathering.

According to Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed al-Ansari, Monday’s meeting will consider “a draft resolution on the Israeli attack on the State of Qatar.”