DOHA: Qatar yesterday forcefully reiterated its stand on the Palestinian issue and said it was a burning issue and thwarted world peace. The people of Palestine and the rest of the Arab world are affected as the conflict lingers unresolved.

This was stated by the Emir
H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, at the Los Angeles World Affairs Council in his address yesterday.

Reiterating Qatar’s stand on the Palestinian issue, the Emir said that it was in support of a just and lasting peace through the implementation of relevant international resolutions.

The most important of these resolutions are the inadmissibility of the occupation of territory by force, and the respect for the principle of the right to self-determination and Israel’s withdrawal from territories occupied after 1976, in addition to the establishment of an independent, sovereign and viable Palestinian state with Al Quds as its capital.

Before delivering the speech at the World Affairs Council, The Emir and H H Sheikha Moza bint Nasser met a group of students who excelled in high school in Los Angeles.

Qatar News Agency (QNA) reported that the Emir while expressing his appreciation for the role played by the United States to resolve the Arab-Israel conflict, stressed that the time had come to return to the United Nations as a framework for all and as an organisation recognised by all to resolve the crisis. Any peace process shall at the end be based on legitimacy and purpose, said the Emir.

The Emir said that Israeli settlements on the Palestinian soil continued illegally and Judaization of Jerusalem (Al Quds) as well as the blockade of Gaza continued.

There does not seem to be any progress in finding a just solution to the vexed issue, the Emir said.

If the people are convinced that there is no solution to the Arab-Israel conflict, the consequences would be dire. It is actually difficult to predict its impact, he said.

The Emir said that Qatar was looking forward to working with the United States in efforts that can make the 21st Century a century of peace and justice for all.

THE PENINSULA