International Community's Complicity in the Occupation's Crimes Will Lead to Further Escalation, Qatar Warns
Geneva - Media & Communication Dept. - November 21
The State of Qatar said that the expansion of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip to include civilian establishments, like schools, hospitals, small factories, bakeries, and population centers, is considered a dangerous escalation in the course of confrontations, and portends dire consequences for the security and stability of the region. It warned that the international community's complicity with silence or selectivity, regarding the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the occupation against the Palestinian people will worsen the state of tension, expand the cycle of violence, and lead to further escalation and instability.
Delivering the State of Qatar's statement at the 74th session of the Trade and Development Board at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) under item 6 on a report on the assistance provided by UNCTAD to the Palestinian people, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the UN Office in Geneva Dr. Hind Abdulrhman Al Muftah voiced Qatar's thanks to the UNCTAD secretariat for preparing the annual report on the assistance provided to the Palestinian people, which clearly indicates the disastrous implications of the Israeli occupation policies on the deterioration of the Palestinian economy, and to the war waged by the occupation on the Gaza Strip without any regard to humanitarian norms or international conventions. She pointed out that the restrictions imposed on movement impede the provision of basic social services and humanitarian relief, and deprive the Palestinian people from enjoying their rights to health, work, education, and decent living.
In this context, Her Excellency called on the international community to shoulder its responsibilities, deter Israel from committing more crimes against civilians, and implement the recent United Nations General Assembly resolution entitled "Protecting Civilians and Adhering to Legal and Humanitarian Obligations," calling on Member States to support the Palestinian people in their development aspirations, and in progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Moreover, Her Excellency expressed the State of Qatar's support for UNCTAD's efforts to support the Palestinian people so that they are equipped with sufficient resources to fulfill their mandates arising from the Nairobi Consensus Document, the Bridgetown Charter, and the relevant General Assembly resolutions. She asserted that the State of Qatar has not hesitated to continue providing humanitarian and development support to the Palestinian people with the aim of alleviating their human suffering, addressing their urgent needs for energy shortages, providing cash liquidity and creating job opportunities, in addition to the long-term repair and construction of infrastructure and housing, and strengthening the health, education, industry and agriculture sectors.
HE Dr. Al Muftah stated that the contributions of the State of Qatar over the past decade through the Qatar Fund for Development and the Gaza Reconstruction Committee exceeded USD 1.5 billion, in addition to the contributions made by civil society organizations in the fields of health, education and ongoing humanitarian relief. Qatar continues to provide support for the basic resources of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in order to enable it to fulfill its mandate, especially in light of the current challenges and difficulties facing the Palestinian people, she added.
Her Excellency pointed out that the Qatar Fund for Development donated USD 18 million in 2021 to support UNRWA's basic resources for the period (2021-2022), and that the State of Qatar pledged, in June of this year, a total of USD 18 million for the period (2023-2024).
HE Dr. Hind Abdulrahman Al Muftah reiterated the firm position of the State of Qatar on the justice of the Palestinian Cause and the legitimate and inalienable rights of the brotherly Palestinian people, especially their right to self-determination. She also stressed that the only guarantee for achieving sustainable peace in the Middle East region is reaching a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian Cause in accordance with the Arab Initiative and the two-state solution, which guarantees the establishment of an independent, viable State of Palestine on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the Palestinian people's enjoyment of their inalienable rights.