Arab-Islamic summit in Qatar looks to send 'strong message' to Israel

Qatar is due to host an emergency summit of Arab and Islamic nations on Monday following the Israeli strike last week which killed six people in Doha, including the son of Hamas leader Khalil al-Hayya and a Qatari security officer.

Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid bin Mohammed Al-Ansari told the official Qatari News Agency (QNA) that a draft statement on the attack would be drawn up by a preparatory meeting of Arab and Islamic foreign ministers, which would be held on Sunday.

Al-Ansari added that the convening of the summit at this time reflected widespread Arab and Islamic solidarity in confronting “cowardly Israeli aggression” which targeted the residence of Hamas leaders in Qatar and “categorical rejection of the state terrorism practiced by Israel”.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which includes 57 countries, said in a statement that the summit “aims to formulate a unified stance and joint action in response to this aggression, which constitutes a blatant violation of the State of Qatar’s sovereignty, the UN Charter, and international law”.

Among the leaders attending will be Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will also be in Doha, but his presence at the meeting is yet to be confirmed.

The attack on Doha drew widespread international condemnation, including from Gulf monarchies allied with the United States, Israel's main backer.

Reports in US media have indicated that the summit will also discuss collective security managements, moving away from reliance on the US.

The Israeli attack on Qatar happened despite assurances from the US that it would protect Qatar’s security and despite the fact that Qatar hosts the largest US base in the Middle East.

Qatar in addition plays a mediation role in the Gaza war alongside the United States and Egypt.

Analysts say the summit is meant to send a clear signal to US ally Israel.

The Israeli strikes were "seen across the Gulf as an unprecedented violation of sovereignty and an attack on diplomacy itself", Andreas Krieg of King's College London said, adding the summit signalled that "such aggression can't be normalised".

"The goal is to draw clear red lines and end the sense in Israel that it can act with impunity," he said. "Expect a sharper stance on Palestine and a harder edge on Israeli actions."

Agencies contributed to this report.