The barbaric killing of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces has crossed all the limits as five more were martyred yesterday that raised the toll to 26 in one week, including 17 on the first Friday of protest, the largest in one day in recent times.
More than 2,000 people were wounded in the “Great March of Return” by Palestinians in Gaza that started on March 30 on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of Land Day, to demand the right to return to their homeland usurped by the Israelis.
The State of Qatar, which always stood for the rights of the oppressed Palestinians and called for an independent Palestinian state based on the borders of 1967 with East Jerusalem as its capital, has renewed its call on the international community to provide protection for the Palestinian people who are subjected to Israeli atrocities.
The Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, has condemned the shooting at the peaceful march by the Palestinians, which led to the martyrdom of a number of people and left more than 2,000 injured.
The Cabinet also called for piling pressure on the Israeli regime to halt its oppressive practices in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Qatar is at the forefront to raise the issue of the Palestinian people in regional and international forums and reiterated its call on the international community and the UN Security Council to shoulder their responsibility to stop Israeli crimes. Qatar’s strong support for the Palestinian people is evident as it donated $50m to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
Earlier this week, Qatar actively participated in the emergency meeting of the Arab League, that called on the United Nations Security Council to form an international fact-finding committee on Israel’s attacks against peaceful Palestinians during their participation in “The Great March of Return” in the Gaza Strip.
During the 27th Arab Parliamentary Union (APU) Conference in Cairo on Thursday, the Speaker of the Advisory Council H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud affirmed Qatar’s firm position that rejects the violation of Islamic holy sites in the occupied territories, and its supportive stance of Al Quds Al Sharif as the eternal and historic capital of the Palestine State as well as its rejection of the decision to transfer the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
The UN as usual called on both sides to exercise restraints without involving directly in the issue. The Security Council once again failed to issue a statement condemning the killing of the innocent Palestinians after an in-camera meeting at the request of Kuwait was held on March 30.
What is happening in Gaza is the brutal crackdown of peaceful demonstrations by the defenceless Palestinians who are expressing their desire for their legitimate rights.
The exacerbation of tensions in Gaza is the result of 70 years of conflict and 50 years of Israeli occupation, underlining that negotiations, which is the only way to achieve a two-State solution, is unacceptable for the Zionist regime.
