Qatar has been keen on raising the Palestinian cause in all possible international and regional forums as the state realises the importance of the issue which is at the heart of the Arab Ummah. Recently Qatar has called on the international community to refrain from applying double standards and to act in order to force the Israeli entity, the occupying power, to fulfill its obligations under international law, to end its occupation of the Palestinian territories and to hold accountable its officials and leaders for violations and crimes committed against the Palestinian people before international justice. Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Office and other international organisations in Geneva Ambassador H E Ali Khalfan Al Mansouri gave a speech during an interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, explaining the plight of the people living in the occupied Palestine state.
During the speech, Qatar expressed its agreement with the content of the report submitted by Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories Michael Lynk, which said that all measures taken by the Israeli authorities to change the geographical and demographic character of the Palestine state, including Jerusalem, as void and as having no legal basis and constitute a flagrant violation of international laws and conventions.
The State of Palestine is recognised by 136 UN members and has a status of non-member observer state in the United Nations, which implies the recognition of statehood. Palestine is a member of the Arab League, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the G77, the International Olympic Committee and numerous other international organisations.
Despite theses facts, the international community has been turning a blind eye towards the sufferings the Palestinian people, who have been under occupation for 51 years, live under injustice and hostile living conditions, facing gross human rights violations by the occupying force, war crimes and crimes against humanity, forced displacement, confiscation of land, looting and exploitation of natural resources, imposition of collective punishment and the unjust siege on the Gaza Strip and denial of access to basic services.
Qatar has been relentlessly raising the Palestinian issue before world leaders calling for a concerted effort to put an end to the atrocities committed by the occupying Israeli forces and ease the unjustified suffering of the Palestinians, who deserves a peaceful and independent life with a government of their own choice. It is high time that the international community stood together to make the occupying forces realise the injustice and harassment they impose on the Palestinians who are clamouring for nothing but a peaceful and independent life, with basic needs such as education, employment, healthcare, housing and other necessary infrastructure.
