Qatar calls for Israel’s nuclear facilities to be under IAEA supervision

Qatar called on Sunday for all of Israel’s nuclear facilities to be subjected to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and for Israel to sign the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) as a non-nuclear state if that is what it claims to be.

Qatar’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the UN Office and International Organisations in Vienna, Jassim Yacoup Al-Hammadi, said before the session of the IAEA Board of Governors in the Austrian capital, that there is a “need for the international community and its institutions to uphold their commitments under resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the IAEA, and the 1995 Review Conference of the NPT, which called on Israel to subject all its nuclear facilities to IAEA safeguards.”

He noted that some of these resolutions explicitly urged Israel to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state if its non-confirmation of its nuclear programme is, in effect, a denial of its existence.

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The Qatari Ambassador pointed out that all Middle Eastern countries, except Israel, are parties to the NPT and have effective safeguard agreements with the Agency.

He also noted that. “Israel continues its aggressive policies, including increasing extremist calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, intensifying military operations against cities and refugee camps in the West Bank, blocking humanitarian aid to Gaza, and maintaining restrictions on the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).”

Al-Hammadi stated that Qatar “submitted a written memorandum last week to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding a request for an advisory opinion based on the UN General Assembly resolution of 19 December, 2024. The request seeks clarification on Israel’s obligations concerning the activities of the United Nations, other international organisations, and third-party states.”

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