Leaders of Arab and Muslim nations presented a united front against Israel and its "belligerent" actions in the Middle East at a summit in Doha on Monday.
The summit was held in the aftermath of Israel's attack on the Hamas negotiating team in Qatar, which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said has taken "Israel's banditry" to a different level.
"Türkiye always stands by its friendly and brotherly ally Qatar," he said, adding that the Arab-Islamic summit in Doha demonstrates the Islamic world's unwavering support for Qatar.
"We are facing (Israel's) terrorist mentality that feeds on chaos and blood, and a state that embodies it ... we must intensify our diplomatic efforts to increase sanctions against Israel," he said.
Erdoğan also urged the Islamic world to thwart Israel's expansionist ambitions.
"It is undeniable that the Netanyahu government's goal is to continue massacres and genocides in Palestine while also causing instability in the region," said the Turkish president, who added that "the Islamic world has the means and ability to thwart Israel's expansionist ambitions."
Opening the summit earlier, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani accused Israel of disregarding its hostages in Gaza and focusing solely on making the territory uninhabitable.
The emir defended his country's efforts to find a solution to the Gaza conflict and said: “A state that is working in a consistent manner for negotiations, a state that is party to the negotiations and yet aggresses the venue (where) the negotiations take place?"
“If Israel wishes to assassinate the Hamas leaders, why then engage in negotiations?"
“If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators? How can we host in our country negotiating delegations from Israel while they send drones and planes for an air raid against our country?
“There is no need for questions. This is just cowardly aggression, and there is no room to deal with such a party.”
Al Thani said: "Israeli attack on Qatar proves hostage release not priority for Israeli government."
"We must take concrete steps confronting the Israeli government's bloodlust," he urged the leaders attending the summit, adding that "Israel's 'extremist settlers' government wants to make sending jets to the region a routine occurrence, as it dreams of making the Arab region its sphere of influence."
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that the Israeli government's actions were destroying all foundations for future peaceful coexistence, making a dark future for generations to come.
Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said this “important summit convened at a critical moment where grave challenges faced by the entire region."
"Let me make it clear. This belligerence reflects clearly that Israeli practices have gone beyond diplomatic and military logic. They have crossed all red lines. We strongly condemn Israeli belligerence on Qatar," he added.
Egypt’s el-Sissi said that Israel must understand its security and sovereignty will not be achieved by force, but rather by respecting the law and the sovereignty of states.
"Israel’s arrogance requires a shared vision for regional security and cooperation," he said, adding that Egypt reaffirms its complete rejection of targeting civilians and starving an entire people.
Israel launched its genocidal war on Gaza in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, incursion and since then it has also waged attacks on Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and now Qatar.
That’s led to wider anger among Mideast nations already enraged by the nearly 65,000 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza – and a growing concern that the U.S. commitment to protect Gulf Arab states may not be strong enough.
Jordan’s King Abdullah II says the attack on Doha was "living proof" that the threat of Israel was "without limits."
"Our response must be clear, decisive and, above all, deterring," he said.
He said that Israel has continued its expansionist policies in the occupied West Bank, undermining the possibility of a two-state solution, adding that the summit must produce practical decisions to confront Israel’s actions, end the war in Gaza and prevent the further displacement of Palestinians.
"It is time for the international community to stop applying double standards and punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed,” Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister and foreign minister, told a meeting Sunday.
