The State of Qatar recently participated in an extraordinary session of the Council of the League of Arab States in Cairo to discuss the Israeli Knesset’s passing of dangerous and illegitimate laws. The laws would prohibit activities by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the occupied Palestinian territories, including East Jerusalem.
Representing Qatar at the meeting was Deputy Permanent Representative Maryam Ahmed Al Shaibi. In her speech, Al Shaibi strongly condemned the illegal laws prohibiting UNRWA activities in Palestinian territories. She highlighted the laws as a dangerous precedent against the United Nations, part of systematic oppression targeting UNRWA, and detrimental to the Palestinian people, especially in Gaza.
Al Shaibi emphasized the severe humanitarian and political consequences these laws would have, depriving millions of Palestinians of essential UNRWA services and undermining the Palestinian refugee issue. She reaffirmed Qatar’s full support for UNRWA and the Palestinian people’s right to establish an independent state with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Despite the Israeli laws, Qatar remains committed to supporting UNRWA, with recent contributions exceeding $100 million. Al Shaibi also highlighted the pivotal role played by Arab partners in addressing humanitarian crises and supporting Palestinian refugees. She called for regional and international solidarity to end the ongoing brutal war on the Palestinian people.
Qatar expressed solidarity with its Arab brothers and supported any measures agreed upon to counter these unjust actions. The outcome of the emergency meeting was to support the Palestinian people and uphold the Palestinian cause as a matter of global conscience. The meeting aimed to rally international support to combat the Israeli laws and protect the rights of Palestinians in the face of oppression and aggression.