Geneva: The State of Qatar participated on Tuesday in an emergency session within the 60th United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC60), regarding the treacherous Israeli assault that targeted Doha.
The Qatari delegation to the session was headed by Minister of State for International Cooperation HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad.
In Qatar's statement during the session - joined by over 75 countries - Her Excellency extended genuine thanks to the Human Rights Council for its swift response in convening this emergency session. She noted that scu a response reflects the Council's pivotal role in safeguarding human rights and promoting international peace and security.
She also praised the positions of member states that supported the convening of this session during this critical time.
Her Excellency stated that the September 9 attack targeted a densely populated civilian area in the heart of the capital, Doha, near diplomatic missions, schools, kindergartens, and mosques - an area home to about five thousand people, including Qatari families as well as families of residents, children, and women, she added.
She explained that this attack resulted in martyrs and injuries, including the martyr Corporal Badr Saad Al-Dosari, 22, and 18 wounded.
This is not only a blatant violation of the sovereignty of the State of Qatar and the integrity of its territory, but also a grave breach of fundamental human rights, the right to life, security, and the protection of children and education, as enshrined in international covenants, primarily the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
HE the Minister stressed that this attack constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law by targeting a purely civilian area, and represents an assault on a fully-fledged member state of the United Nations, amounting to state terrorism and posing a direct threat to regional and international peace and security.
She added that what makes the crime even more dangerous is that it targeted a state playing a mediating role in coordination with the United States and the Arab Republic of Egypt to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.
Targeting the mediating state is an attack on the principle of negotiation itself and a deliberate sabotage of peace efforts.
Her Excellency explained that Qatari mediation had previously contributed to tangible results, including the safe release of 135 hostages, which restored reassurance to hundreds of Israeli families.
Qatar also played a prominent role in achieving the truce agreement that gave civilians in Gaza a chance to breathe, and the humanitarian mediation allowed the entry of food aid for children suffering from starvation and bombardment, deprived of their most basic rights.
Her Excellency noted that these experiences confirm that Qatari mediation was never a symbolic act, but a genuine practice that saved lives, restored rights, and instilled hope in the possibility of reaching peaceful solutions to conflicts.
Therefore, targeting the mediating state not only undermines the negotiation process but also diminishes the chances of saving more lives and achieving peace.
HE the Minister stated that this attack was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader campaign aimed at distorting Qatar's role and obstructing its diplomatic efforts.
This was confirmed by statements from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who clearly announced continued threats to other countries, in a dangerous escalation that threatens to drag the region and the world into systematic violations of international law.
She pointed out that what happened in Doha could be repeated in any other capital if the international community does not act responsibly.
Regarding the Arab, Islamic, and international stance through the Security Council meeting, Her Excellency referred to the Emergency Arab-Islamic summit held in Doha, which unanimously condemned the brutal aggression and rejected any attempt to justify it.
The summit considered it a blatant violation of international law and the United Nations Charter, reaffirmed the concept of collective security and shared destiny, and emphasized that international legitimacy and UN resolutions are the fundamental reference for achieving security and peace.
Unfortunately, Her Excellency continued, peoples have become accustomed to news of death, attacks, and starvation surrounding the world today. She further questioned what the world is waiting for if humanity fails to stop hostility, hatred, and violence through international treaties.
Her Excellency underscored that if the rule of law is absent, the logic of force prevails at the expense of justice, and the world turns into a battlefield without controls, eroding trust in laws, treaties, and mechanisms. Therefore, she added, the world relies on the HRC to activate its international mechanisms and ensure that aggressors do not escape punishment, preserving the dignity of the law and the humanity of individuals.
HE the Minister of State for International Cooperation emphasized that the State of Qatar reaffirms its unequivocal condemnation of the treacherous Israeli aggression and its resulting targeting of civilians and blatant violation of international law, calling on the Human Rights Council and the international community to take practical steps to hold the aggressors accountable and prevent their impunity, warned of the danger of targeting mediating states and considered it a precedent that threatens negotiation and peace efforts, and stressed the need to explore international mechanisms to protect the role of mediation.
She also renewed Qatar's commitment to the path of mediation and working for peace, despite this aggression, stemming from its moral and legal duty.
Her Excellency affirmed that the State of Qatar is confident that the Human Rights Council will not accept any violation of human rights principles and will not tolerate this grave violation.
The Council prioritizes the protection of international law for the sake of stability and safeguarding the role of mediation as a key tool to end conflicts and ensure that peoples enjoy their rights and freedoms in security and peace.
