• Beijing tells Tel Aviv ‘civilians must be protected’
• Raisi says Muslim disunity enabled Israeli aggression
• Hamas raid doesn’t justify killing ‘millions of innocents’: Lula
• Macron calls for ‘coalition against Hamas’

DOHA: The Qatari ruler hit out at Israel’s backers on Tuesday, charging they had given it “free licence to kill” in Gaza and questioning what would it bring security and stability to the region.

Major powers, including the United States, Britain and France, have rallied to support Israel and affirmed its right to defend itself after this month’s raid by Hamas.

“We are saying enough is enough,” Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani told a meeting of the Shura Council, Qatar’s legislative body, according to a translation released by the royal court.

“It is untenable for Israel to be given an unconditional green light and free licence to kill, nor is it tenable to continue ignoring the reality of occupation, siege and settlement.” “It should not be allowed in our time to use cutting off water and preventing medicine and food as weapons against an entire population,” the emir said, referring to Israel’s siege of Gaza.

“We call for an earnest regional and international stance vis-a-vis this dangerous escalation that we are witnessing, and which threatens the security of the region and the world.” He added: “We would like to ask those who have aligned with the war, and those acting to gag any dissenting opinion: what would come in the aftermath of this war? “Would it bring security and stability to Israelis and Palestinians? Where would the Palestinians head for afterwards?”

‘Protect civilians’

China’s foreign minister has told his Israeli counterpart that all countries have a right to self-defence, but they must protect civilians and abide by international law, Beijing said on Tuesday.

Wang Yi made the comments in a call on Monday with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, the first between them since the start of Israeli aggression on Gaza.

In his talks with Cohen, Wang said China was deeply concerned about the “ongoing escalation of the conflict”. “All countries have the right to self-defence, but they should abide by international humanitarian law and protect the safety of civilians,” Wang said. “The most pressing task now is to prevent the situation from escalating further and from leading to a more serious humanitarian disaster.”

Also on Monday, Wang spoke with his Palestinian Authority (PA) counterpart, Riyad al-Maliki, telling him Beijing “deeply expresses its sympathy with the Palestinian side”.

French President Emmanuel Macron, on a solidarity visit to Israel, said there had to be a “decisive relaunch” of the Middle East peace process, following talks with leaders in Israel.

Macron said the Global Coalition against Daesh, or the militant Islamic State group, “should also fight against Hamas”.

The French president said he had proposed this during talks with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and to other “international partners”. “We should build a regional and international coalition to battle against terrorist groups that threaten us all,” he told a joint news conference with Netanyahu.

Macron’s office said before his visit that he would seek a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza while in Israel, but no mention was made after his talks with Netanyahu. He was go to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, the Palestinian Authority said.

‘Lack of unity’

Iran’s president on Tuesday expressed regret at a “lack of unity” among Muslim countries in response to the Israeli aggression against Gaza.

“A united and unified position in the Muslim world could have prevented the oppression and aggression of the Zionist regime and the excesses of its Western supporters in a more effective way,” he said, quoted by state news agency IRNA.

Raisi also called for “strengthening co-operation” between countries in the region to avoid interventions from outside nations.

He made the remarks while receiving the credentials of the new Saudi ambassador to Tehran, Abdullah bin Saud al-Anazi.

“Just because Hamas committed a terrorist attack against Israel doesn’t mean Israel has to kill millions of innocents,” Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said in his weekly live address on social media.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2023