Palestinian cause will go away only with the end of occupation or ‘disappearance of the Palestinian people,’ says Sheikh Tamim

HH The Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani delivered a rousing speech during the opening of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly at its headquarters in New York, USA, on Tuesday.

Sheikh Tamim, who tore into Israel’s unfair attacks on Palestine and Lebanon, called for an immediate end to the conflicts in the region.

Sheikh Tamim called the ‘blatant aggression’ by Israel in Gaza as “the most barbaric, heinous and extensive aggression, violating human values, international conventions and norms,” reported Al Jazeera.

“We oppose violence and the targeting of innocent civilians by any party. But after a year of this war and with all that has taken place…and that continues to take place, it’s no longer tenable to talk about Israel’s right to defend itself in this context without being complicit in justifying the crime,” he said.

“It’s no longer plausible for any official to claim that they don’t know. The facts are well known: reports issued by international organisations about the bombing of schools and hospitals, weaponising access to food and medicine, in addition to the published and publicly uttered intentions of Israeli leaders,” he said.

“Therefore, the failure to intervene to stop the aggression is a major scandal,” he said.

Sheikh Tamim said the Palestinian cause would not be marginalised, and would go away only if the occupation ended or through the ‘disappearance of the Palestinian people.’

“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,” he said.

“There’re those who’re tempted by the possibility of marginalising this issue to get rid of its burden… But the Palestinian cause is resistant to marginalisation because it is an issue of indigenous people on their own land, a people who are subjected to a settler colonial occupation,” he said.

“It seems there’re those in Israel who entertain wishful thinking to eliminate the Palestinian people,” he said.

“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 Israel parties to impose a fait accompli on the Palestinians and the world,” he said.

Sheikh Tamim also condemned the Israeli assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who had led Hamas negotiators in talks.

He said that despite those challenges, Qatar ‘will continue its efforts of mediation to resolve the disputes through peaceful means.’

“We won’t achieve this goal except with a serious partner who’s aware of the importance of renouncing this war and ending the occupation and all forms of aggression so that we can reach together the desired peace in the Middle East,” he said.

He further condemned the apparent Israeli attack on Lebanon, in which thousands of electronic devices were detonated ‘with total disregard for their identity or location.’

“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,” he said.

Sheikh Tamim concluded his address by saying his nation would would work to assure peace across the Middle East and beyond. He pointed to Qatari-led efforts to secure a US-Venezuela prisoner swap and to reunite Ukrainian children with their families.

“We affirm that Qatar will spare no effort in working with its international partners and the United Nations 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 was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.

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