Qatar continued its rallying call for the Palestinian issue to be permanently resolved as it constitutes the cornerstone of any permanent and comprehensive solution in the Middle East.
Over the years, Qatar has been one of the loudest voices calling upon the international community to reaffirm its commitment to the people of Palestine in building their future, especially against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.
To mark the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which falls on November 29 each year. Ambassador of the State of Qatar and Permanent Representative to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna, H E Sultan bin Salmeen Al Mansoori affirmed Qatar’s stance that the Palestinian issue constitutes the cornerstone of any permanent and comprehensive solution in the Middle East.
Al Mansoori stressed that the Arab countries are committed to a just and comprehensive peace, but they view the unilateral measures taken by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories, especially in East Jerusalem, and the violations of Al Quds - which has a special place in the hearts of all Arabs and Muslims - as inconsistent with the resolutions of international legitimacy, and threatens the chances of achieving peace, and aims to change the status quo, and exacerbates feelings of frustration. Israeli settlements have expanded in the occupied West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem since 1967. Under former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, construction accelerated significantly with apparent support from former US president Donald Trump’s administration, which Palestinians accused of egregious pro-Israel bias.
Meanwhile, a watchdog body of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has called for an end to Israel’s occupation of Palestine as the only way to stop ongoing human rights abuses against Palestinians.
The Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the OIC yesterday urged all human rights groups to raise awareness of what it described as “egregious human rights violations” aimed at “separating Al Quds (Jerusalem) from its original inhabitants, which is yet another vicious attack on the right to self-determination of the Palestinian people.”
For Qatar, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) recently renewed a $3m grant agreement with the Institute for Palestine Studies Project (IPS) to further inform the Arab and international community about the realities of the Palestinian cause.
