UN Security Council members condemn Israel over deadly strike on Qatar

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the Israeli onslaught connected the Qatari superior Doha connected Tuesday and called for de-escalation successful a connection agreed by each 15 members, including Israel’s main ally, the United States.

Council members issued the connection up of the exigency gathering connected Thursday, which was convened to sermon Israel’s attacks targeting Hamas leaders successful the Qatari capital, arsenic it ramped up its violative successful Gaza City, forcing much than 200,000 to flee.

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Five Hamas members were killed, but the Palestinian radical said its enactment survived the assassination bid. A Qatari information unit subordinate was besides killed successful the unprecedented attack, which has sent tensions successful the portion skyrocketing.

Hamas leaders were gathering to sermon a caller woody projected by US President Donald Trump erstwhile the onslaught happened.

“Council members underscored the value of de-escalation and expressed their solidarity with Qatar,” said the statement, drafted by France and the United Kingdom, which nevertheless stopped abbreviated of explicitly mentioning Israel.

It besides emphasised that “releasing the hostages, including those killed by Hamas, and ending the warfare and suffering successful Gaza” were “top priority”. More than 40 captives are inactive held successful Gaza, but lone 20 of them are believed to beryllium alive.

The US, which traditionally shields its state Israel astatine the United Nations, appeared to present a beardown rebuke to Israel, reflecting President Donald Trump’s purported unhappiness with the attack.

Acting US Ambassador Dorothy Shea said: “Unilateral bombing wrong Qatar, a sovereign federation moving precise hard and bravely taking risks alongside the United States to broker peace, does not beforehand Israel’s oregon America’s goals.”

“That said, it is inappropriate for immoderate subordinate to usage this to question Israel’s committedness to bringing their hostages home,” she continued.

Reporting from New York, Al Jazeera’s Gabriel Elizondo said that diplomatic sources had told him the US “pushed back” against stronger connection against Israel successful the statement, which was nevertheless “highly significant”.

However, Shea had made it wide that “the US cannot and volition not support Israel’s onslaught connected Qatar”.

“Clearly, the US inactive backs Israel. Clearly, the US volition inactive … support Israel successful the Security Council, but this was a span excessively acold for the United States,” said Elizondo.

“It volition beryllium absorbing to spot successful the coming hours and days if we adjacent get much clarification from the White House connected this,” helium added.

After Tuesday’s attack, the White House had said President Trump was not notified successful advance. Upon learning of the attack, the president had allegedly asked his envoy, Steve Witkoff, to pass Qatar immediately, but the onslaught had already started.

‘A caller and perilous chapter’

The Security Council connection highlighted “support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Qatar”, underlining the country’s important relation arsenic “a cardinal mediator” successful bid talks betwixt Israel and Hamas.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani flew successful from Doha for the marathon three-hour session, telling the UNSC that Doha would proceed its humanitarian and diplomatic efforts, but would not tolerate further breaches of its information and sovereignty.

Blasting Israel’s leaders arsenic “arrogant”, helium said that the timing of the attacks during mediation efforts showed that the state intended to derail them. “Israel is undermining the stableness of the portion impetuously,” helium said.

UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo described Qatar arsenic a “valued spouse successful advancing peacemaking” and expressed interest implicit Israel’s recklessness, saying that the strikes represented an “alarming escalation”.

She pointed retired that Israel’s warfare connected Gaza had killed tens of thousands of radical and astir wholly destroyed Gaza, noting that the concern successful the occupied West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, had “continued to spiral downward”.

She besides noted Israel’s different “dangerous escalations” crossed the region, involving Iran, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen.

“The Israeli onslaught connected Doha perchance opens a caller and perilous section successful this devastating conflict, earnestly threatening determination bid and stability,” she said.

‘A motion of madness’

In different interventions, Algeria’s ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, said: “Israel behaves arsenic if instrumentality does not exist, arsenic if borders are illusions, arsenic if sovereignty itself is simply a dispensable motion, arsenic if the UN charter is an ephemeral text.”

Noting Israel’s attacks connected Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and “renowned bid broker” Qatar, helium added: “This is not strength, it is recklessness. It is simply a motion of madness. It is the behaviour of an extremist government, emboldened by immunity [and] impunity. A authorities driving the portion and the full satellite toward the abyss.”

Israel’s UN envoy, Danny Danon, said Israel carried retired its onslaught connected Hamas leaders, who had directed attacks planned successful the “luxury confines of Doha”.

Danon said these were the “sole targets” of the attack, adding that they were “terrorists” alternatively than “legitimate politicians, diplomats, oregon representatives”.

Al Jazeera’s Elizondo said the prevailing sentiment astatine the league was that “the satellite intelligibly stands down Qatar”.

“It was wide enactment for Qatar and wide condemnation of Israel,” helium said. “You besides saw countries wanting accountability for Israel’s continued crimes.”