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Qatar warns against the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip

August 25, 2018 at 12:19 pm

Palestinian children are seen at their house as Palestinians living in makeshift homes in El-Zohor neighborhood in the city of Khan Yunis on the Gaza Strip are facing difficult conditions under the cold weather on December 14, 2016. The economy and their living conditions are getting progressively worse due to Israel’s embargo on Gaza [Mustafa Hassona / Anadolu Agency]

Qatar has warned against the escalation of the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip following what it described as, “The Israeli occupation forces’ aggression against the defenceless Palestinian people, who are calling for their basic national rights and the lifting of the unjust siege imposed on them.”

In a statement published by the Qatari newspaper Al-Watan, the Foreign Ministry in Doha called on the international community to put an end to this human disaster. The silence of the international community and the failure to react to the situation in Gaza Strip is not acceptable, it insisted.

The statement stressed Qatar’s firm position with regards to the historic rights of the Palestinian people to have an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, in addition to the refugees’ right to return to their land in what is now recognised as Israel. The ministry also highlighted the fact that any deviation from these constants is a violation of international law. It stressed that Qatari diplomats will spare no effort to lift the unjust siege imposed on Gaza.

The Gulf State confirmed that in addition to its direct contributions to the reconstruction of the enclave, or support through international institutions such as UNRWA, it is working on the issue through efforts coordinated by the Chairman of the Qatari National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, Ambassador Mohamed Al-Emadi.

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The first and primary goal of these efforts, said the ministry, is to lift injustice from the Palestinian people and stand by their side, which requires communications and meetings with all parties. “The State of Qatar has nothing to hide in this regard, especially when mediating for humanitarian purposes.”

It stressed that the firm position of the State of Qatar as regards the Israeli occupation and the historical rights of the Palestinian people is not open for discussion. “Indeed, no party has the right to waiver them under any pretext.”

Qatar’s Foreign Minister, Shaikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Thani, called for an urgent international intervention to stop the escalation. “The ongoing aggression of the Israeli occupation on the Gaza Strip will cost the region more tension,” he warned.

The Qatari statement followed media reports that Saudi King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz has had a number of contacts with senior US officials, in addition to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and other Arab leaders, in which he expressed his rejection of US President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” and stressed his adherence to East Jerusalem being the capital of Palestine.

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