Qatar stresses solidarity with Palestinians

The State of Qatar has stressed its solidarity with the Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle and it spares no effort in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace.
Qatar welcomed the international efforts aiming to reach a humanitarian truce and a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, out of concern for the immediate cessation of violence and the reduction of bloodshed.
The State of Qatar urged the Security Council to adopt a resolution calling on Israel to immediately stop its attacks and put an end to the violence as well as to allow the delivery of necessary humanitarian aids to affected civilians in Gaza.
This came in a statement of the State of Qatar delivered by HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before the Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestine question.
HE Sheikha Alia said that the past few days have witnessed savage atrocities of the Israeli aggression on the besieged Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, noting to the continuing Israeli aggression, violations, killings and massacres of innocent civilians, and the most recent massacre Shojae'ya in which more victims were children.
"We condemn all acts of aggression committed by Israel which represented a flagrant violation of the international law of human rights and the international humanitarian law," HE said.
HE Sheikha Alia pointed out that the Israeli aggression on Gaza can not be considered a defense of the Israeli people, noting to the killing of hundreds of civilians, children, women and elderly.
These attacks will push everyone to the confrontation by all means, and thus, every effort to reach peace in this region will be undermined and the desired security will not be achieved, HE said, stressing that those who consider that the Israeli attack on Gaza is a just punishment for the murder of the three Israeli settlers don't have a legal basis or logical justification.
Instead of the attacks, HE said that it was useful for the Israeli authorities to conduct a legal investigation to reach those responsible for this crime as the incident occurred in an area under Israeli control.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations added that similarly, Israel, as the occupying power and under international law, should punish those responsible for settlers' crimes against unarmed Palestinians, and therefore what is going on against the Palestinian people in Gaza is an act of revenge, collective punishment, state terrorism and disproportionate use of force, emphasizing that the Israeli attacks are unacceptable and require a clear position of the UN Security Council, especially as the number of victims and the injured is increasing rapidly.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani stressed that what is happening in Gaza is not in response to an alleged terrorism, saying that resisting the occupation is not a terrorism and the Palestinian people is not a group of terrorists, but they are steadfast people insist to restore their usurped rights.
HE noted that the International Community exerted over the past decades, and still, strenuous efforts to reach a just and lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis, and the world hoped that the Palestinian unity will contribute to the creation of an enabling environment for the peace process, but what is being committed by the Israeli side today is a real obstacle to the peace sought by the international community.
HE Sheikha Alia said that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, the suffocating siege which affects more than a million and a half million Palestinians, the continuation of the occupation which has made Gaza a big prison without basic necessities of life, the breach of the Armistice Agreement signed in Cairo in 2012 and the prisoners exchange agreement and the prevention of Palestinian tax money hold Israel the full legal responsibility as a result of this policy, stressing the need to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Gaza Strip.
The State of Qatar is sparing no effort in order to achieve a just and comprehensive peace and its government and people will continue standing in solidarity with the brotherly Palestinian people in their legitimate struggle, HE said.
HE also said that the leadership of the State of Qatar participates through extensive contacts in the international efforts in this regard, as it participated in the emergency ministerial meeting of the Arab League, held last week in Cairo, and was part of the Arab consensus, adding that Qatar is looking forward to the efforts of the international parties to reach a fair and logical agreement for a ceasefire, respect the international law and international humanitarian law, provide international protection for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian territories and provide urgent humanitarian assistance.
HE noted that there is no doubt that the UN Security Council has a special responsibility in this regard, which requires it to adopt a resolution demanding Israel's immediate cessation of attacks, put an end to the violence, allow the delivery of necessary humanitarian aids to civilians affected in the Gaza Strip, provide a sustainable solution to the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, open sea and land ports, repair the infrastructure and deliver salaries owed ??to the employees in the Gaza Strip.
HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said that Qatar is trying hard to work with all concerned parties to defuse the tension and to provide a suitable and realistic ground to find lasting solutions outside the temporary truce that has not and will not achieve the desired peace and security.  
On the situation in Syria, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alia Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said that the Syrian regime continues its military campaign against its own people with a series of attacks that target civilians, noting to the Secretary-General's latest report to the Council on the implementation of resolution No. 2139 of 2013 regarding the regime forces' use of explosive barrels against the civilians, the continuing siege of many areas, the starvation policy and the prevention of the arrival of medical supplies to those in need.
HE added that all these crimes and other serious violations require the need to refer the situation in Syria to the international criminal justice.
HE Sheikha Alia pointed out that the adoption of Security Council resolution No. 2165 of 2014 last week is a clear indication that the Syrian regime has failed to protect its people and was an obstacle to the delivery of the necessary humanitarian aids, adding that this underlines the lack of commitment to the implementation of the Council resolution No. 2139 and therefore this should be a real motive to the international community to strive strenuously to put an end to this crisis, which will continue to deteriorate.
In conclusion, HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations welcomed the appointment of the new Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General in Syria Staffan de Mistura and his deputy Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, looking forward that their efforts will contribute to reaching the desired solution.