- Emir of Qatar: Israel’s government thinks it can impose a ‘fait accompli’ on the Arabs
- Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the leaders of around 60 other countries are participating
Doha, September 15, 2025 (Agencies): Qatar’s emir said Monday that Israel had sought to derail Gaza talks by striking Hamas negotiators in his country last week, and that its premier dreamt of an Arab world under Israeli influence.
“Whoever works diligently and systematically to assassinate the party with whom he is negotiating, intends to thwart the negotiations… Negotiations, for them, are merely part of the war,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Doha to discuss the attack.
He also said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “dreams of turning the Arab region into an Israeli sphere of influence, and this is a dangerous illusion.”
Sheikh Tamim said Israel’s government was exploiting the ongoing war in Gaza to expand settlements and change the status quo, adding the negotiations were just a pretext to Israel’s military operations in the besieged territory.
“If Israel aims to assassinate Hamas leaders, why is it negotiating with them?” the Qatari ruler said in his opening statement at the summit.
He accused Israel of not caring about its hostages held in Gaza and instead only working to ”ensure Gaza is no longer livable.”
“If you wish to insist on the liberation of hostages, why then do they assassinate all negotiators?” Sheikh Tamim asked.
“There is no room to deal with such a party that’s cowardly and treacherous,” he added. “Those who work consistently to assassinate the party in these negotiations will certainly do everything to ensure the failure of these negotiations. When they claim that they seek the liberation of hostages, that’s a mere lie.”
Sheikh Tamim also denounced Israel over what he called the “genocide” it is committing in Gaza.
The joint Arab League and Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit called by Qatar seeks to pile pressure on Israel, which has been facing mounting calls to end the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
Hamas says top officials survived last week’s air strike in Doha that killed six people and triggered a wave of criticism, including from US President Donald Trump.
A draft final statement seen by AFP warned that “brutal Israeli aggression” put efforts to normalize relations between Israel and Arab states at risk.
It “threatens all that has been achieved on the path toward establishing normal relations with Israel, including existing and future agreements,” the draft added.