Qatar's emir called for a ceasefire in Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon and stressed the importance of establishing a Palestinian state at a meeting with European Union leaders in Brussels, Belgium.
The 27-nation EU is seeking to work more closely with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – which brings together Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – to address conflicts in both the Middle East and in Ukraine.
In opening remarks at the first EU-GCC summit on Wednesday, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar stressed the need to create a “sovereign and independent” Palestinian state existing alongside Israel. He also called for a ceasefire in Israel's ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
“The destructive war waged today by Israel against Palestine and Lebanon made war crimes a regular occurrence. That is something we cannot accept,” Al Thani said.
“We need a solution to these conflicts. “We need to find a solution to the Palestinian cause on the basis of international legitimacy and the 1967 borders… A ceasefire would be a first step before a serious round of negotiations for a definitive solution to the Palestinian cause.”
The summit comes more than a year after Israel launched its attack on Gaza after the Palestinian group Hamas led an attack on southern Israel, killing at least 1,139 people, mostly civilians, according to an Al tally. Jazeera based on official Israeli statistics, and captured around 250 others as hostages.
Israel's war on Gaza has killed more than 42,400 people, mostly women and children, according to Palestinian authorities, and displaced more than 90 percent of the territory's 2.3 million residents, many of them older. at once.
Meanwhile, the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has been exchanging cross-border fire with Israel for more than a year, saying it is acting in response to Israel's devastating ground and air attack on Gaza.
Last month, Israel's military dramatically escalated fighting with Hezbollah, targeting several senior leaders of the organization, expanding Israel's bombing raids across Lebanon and sending ground troops to the south of the country.
According to Lebanese authorities, at least 1,350 people have been killed in Lebanon since Israel stepped up its attacks last month.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned against an escalation of war in the Middle East and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Russia's war against Ukraine and the Hamas-led terrorist attack against Israel on October 7 have fundamentally undermined regional security in Europe and the Gulf,” he said.
“We need to do everything in our power and mobilize all our diplomatic skills to stop the extremely dangerous escalation in which Iran now launches a massive ballistic attack on Israel, or the Houthis attack our ships,” he added.
Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the summit, said the leaders' opening remarks gave a glimpse of how spiraling violence in the Middle East was becoming an “urgent” issue for the international community.
“If this continues, it could deteriorate further into a broader confrontation that could drag the Iranians into a vicious cycle of tit-for-tat with the Israelis. “That could be the moment when the international community would have no influence to contain the situation,” he said.
The presence of Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman – confirmed at the last minute – raised expectations about the GCC side's push for a two-state solution.
“2002 was the date the Saudis launched the Arab Peace Initiative, which demands that all Arab nations recognize Israel in exchange for the Israelis accepting an independent Palestinian state. [the] “Same statement reiterated by the emir of Qatar,” Ahelbarra stated.
The war between Russia and Ukraine is another priority
Russia's war against Ukraine was also expected to dominate the meetings, with the EU trying to rally international support to isolate Russia.
While opinions differ on Russia's invasion of Ukraine – specifically the implementation of Western sanctions and the EU's pressure to punish Iran for bolstering Moscow's war effort – there was some hope for closer cooperation on that front. .
“I am confident that we can work together and trust you to stop this illegal Russian war,” von der Leyen told Gulf leaders.
Although Brussels wants GCC partners to agree on stronger language on Russia's military attack, it does not expect them to fully adopt its position of blaming Moscow.
Al Thani's inaugural speech made a brief reference to the conflict on European soil.
“With regard to the war between Ukraine and Russia, the position of the GCC is based on the principles of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, which preserves the sovereignty of States, their territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of the States,” he stated. Emir said.
Talks at the summit are also expected to cover trade and investment cooperation and visa liberalization.