NEW YORK CITY: Qatar’s emir criticized the international community on Tuesday for failing Palestine and for being content with “illusions of making peace” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“Every year I stand on this podium and I begin by talking about the Palestinian cause, the absence of justice, the perils of believing that it can be neglected, and the illusions of making peace without a just solution to the Palestinian cause,” Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad said during his address at the UN General Assembly in New York.
“There are those who are tempted by the possibility of marginalizing this issue to get rid of its burden, but the Palestinian cause is resistant to marginalization because it’s an issue of indigenous people on their own land, a people who are subjected to a settler-colonial occupation.
“It seems there are those in Israel who entertain wishful thinking to eliminate the Palestinian people.
“The ongoing Israeli aggression for nearly a year is nothing but a result of the absence of a sincere political will, a deliberate international failure to resolve the Palestinian issue with a just solution, and insistence of the occupying Israeli parties to impose a fait accompli on the Palestinians and the world.”
Sheikh Tamim’s address focused on the war in Gaza, the escalation of violence in the West Bank, and increasing tensions between Israeli forces and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Qatar will “spare no effort” to bring about a peaceful resolution to the unrest, but “we won’t achieve this goal except with a serious partner who is aware of the importance of renouncing this war and ending the occupation and all forms of aggression so we can reach together the desired peace in the Middle East,” he said.
“Israel is currently waging a war on Lebanon, and no one knows to what extent this war could escalate. This is what we’ve repeatedly warned against.”
Sheikh Tamim highlighted Qatar’s role in mediating and working toward resolutions to conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, saying Doha is actively seeking peace in Yemen, Syria, Sudan and Ukraine.
He pointed out Qatari-led efforts to reunite Ukrainian children with their families, and successfully securing last year’s US-Venezuela prisoner swap.
“We affirm the state of Qatar will spare no effort in working with its international partners and the UN to firmly consolidate the pillars of peace, security, sustainable development, human rights and the rule of law — at all levels — and to address global challenges to achieve a better future for all,” he said.
Qatari emir criticizes ‘international failure’ of Palestine in UNGA address
https://arab.news/4n32h
Qatari emir criticizes ‘international failure’ of Palestine in UNGA address
- Sheikh Tamim: ‘There are those in Israel who entertain wishful thinking to eliminate the Palestinian people’
- ‘Israel is currently waging a war on Lebanon, and no one knows to what extent this war could escalate’
Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs
- The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint
JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
