Qatar reaffirms support for Palestinian people

DOHA: Qatar’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi reaffirmed the state of Qatar’s firm position in support of the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle to regain their rights and occupied land.

During the open-ended virtual extraordinary meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) executive committee on June 10 regarding the government of Israel’s threat to annex parts of the territory of the State of Palestine occupied in 1967, Minister al Muraikhi said in a statement that the State of Qatar took the initiative to participate in the meeting based on its steadfast stance toward the Palestinian cause and its full solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people.

He noted that the meeting was being held to consider a matter of great importance and urgency, which required the OIC to take a firm stand, especially as it relates to the Palestinian cause, the organization’s top priority.

The minister added that at a time when the world was preoccupied with the many challenges it was facing, foremost among which is the coronavirus crisis, it should not divert its attention from the danger posed by Israel’s attempts to move forward in its policies and plans to annex parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, accelerate the pace of colonial settlement there and other illegal and unlawful measures.

The minister stressed that the pursuit of peace on the basis of international law and legitimacy was the position that Qatar continuously emphasizes, adding that the June 10 meeting was a result of the organization’s understanding of the seriousness of the Israeli government’s threat. He added that such a move would undermine the two-state solution, which the whole world agreed was the way to achieve lasting, just and comprehensive peace. He pointed out that, in contrast to these positions, the Israeli government’s insistence on taking reckless and unimaginable steps that undermine the chances of peace and do not serve anyone’s interest.

The minister said the Israeli government’s insistence on taking unilateral steps was being categorically rejected not only by the Palestinians, but also by the whole world was evidence of clear intransigence and a symptom of the efforts to seek a peaceful settlement and adherence to the unilateral solution, which has proven to be futile year after year.

He added that the OIC must reiterate its firm and principled position that there is no alternative to a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian issue in all its aspects, which is reached through negotiations between the two parties and is based on agreed references and international legitimacy decisions, the principle of land for peace and the Arab Peace Initiative, and realize the two-state solution that includes the establishment of an independent and viable State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The minister pointed out that this entails ending occupation of all Arab lands, including the occupied Syrian Golan and the occupied Lebanese territories, and ensuring the absolute rights of the Palestinian people, as well as a just solution to the refugee issue.

He noted that the organization supports the sincere efforts seeking a comprehensive, just and lasting peace settlement and in accordance with international law and the Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations’ two-state solution.

The minister of state for foreign affairs stressed that the practices of the occupying power that violate international law and United Nations resolutions are obstacles to a solution, noting that these practices include occupation, settlement and illegal annexation of lands and procedures that affect the nature of Jerusalem, its legal status, demographic composition and religious sanctity, as well as the use of violence and arbitrary detention against Palestinians and the continued blockade of the Gaza Strip.