Pakistan accuses Israel of sabotaging Gaza peace efforts

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday reiterated its condemnation of the September 9 Israeli attack in Doha, Qatar, calling the “highly provocative and reckless action” a derailment of the peace process.

Qatar is a key mediator in ceasefire talks between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which said the Israeli military targeted its negotiating team but failed.

At least six people were killed in the bombing, including the son and an aide of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya, according to Al Jazeera.

Foreign Office spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said the Israeli strike was a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty, international law, the UN Charter, and established norms governing interstate relations.

“At a time when delicate negotiations on a Gaza peace deal were progressing towards a possible breakthrough, striking the territory of a principal mediator and those directly involved in negotiations is a deliberate attempt to sabotage diplomacy, derail peace efforts, and prolong the suffering of civilians,” the spokesman told reporters at the weekly briefing.

Strike on Doha: Pakistan urges UNSC to hold Israel accountable

He said it was evident that Israel, as the occupying power, was bent on undermining and destroying every possibility of peace.

At the request of Algeria, Pakistan and Somalia, the United Nations Security Council convened an urgent meeting on Thursday to discuss the strike against Qatar, which it described as “treacherous” and a violation of international norms, according to reports.

The request was backed by other Council members. During the session, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar, said the Israeli attack was yet another manifestation of its systematic disregard for international law and its brazen policy of destabilizing the region.

He said it added to Israel’s long record of aggression, including brutal military actions in Gaza and repeated cross-border strikes in Syria, Lebanon, Iran and Yemen — all of which amounted to violations of the UN Charter and international humanitarian law. Such acts of aggression, as defined by UNGA resolution 3314, set a dangerous precedent, erode the primacy of the rule of law, and foster a culture of impunity that threatens the security of all states.

The spokesman reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar, calling on the international community to hold Israel accountable. He added that Pakistan would continue to stand “shoulder to shoulder with the brotherly people and leadership of Qatar” in defense of their sovereignty and security.

PM visit to Doha

The spokesman said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Qatar on Thursday aimed to express solidarity with its people and leadership after the Israeli attack.

During his visit, the prime minister met the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and conveyed Pakistan’s strongest condemnation of the strike, describing it as a blatant violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Sharif said the leadership and people of Pakistan were deeply disturbed by the attack against the “brotherly State of Qatar,” which he called a serious breach of international law.

He assured the Qatari leadership of Pakistan’s full solidarity and support in the face of “this unjustified provocation” and emphasized that Israel’s aggression in the Middle East must be stopped, urging unity among Muslim nations in the face of Israeli provocations.

The Prime Minister said that, at Qatar’s request, Pakistan had sought an emergency session of the UN Security Council to discuss the latest developments in the Middle East. He also welcomed Qatar’s decision to host an Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit on September 15 and said Pakistan had indicated its willingness to the OIC to co-sponsor and co-convene the summit.

The visit, he said, reaffirmed the deep-rooted brotherly ties between Pakistan and Qatar and their shared commitment to peace and stability in the region.

Tahir Khan