Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif departed for Doha on Monday to attend the Arab-Islamic Summit, an emergency meeting convened after Israeli airstrikes on Qatar and rising tensions over Palestine. The gathering, hosted under the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), brings together leaders, heads of government, and senior representatives from across the Muslim world.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the Arab-Islamic Summit was called in response to Israel’s attacks on Qatar, the ongoing occupation of Gaza, settlement expansion in the West Bank, and the forced eviction of Palestinians. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had already represented Pakistan at the OIC foreign ministers’ preparatory session on Sunday. That meeting drafted a resolution strongly condemning Israel’s actions.
Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, speaking ahead of the gathering, urged the world to abandon double standards. He demanded Israel be held accountable for what he called “crimes” against Palestinians. He stressed that the Arab-Islamic Summit must show unity. “Israel should know its genocidal war against our Palestinian brothers will not succeed,” he said. He added that Israeli aggression would not derail Doha’s mediation efforts alongside Egypt and the United States.
The meeting in Doha has drawn strong participation. More than 50 OIC member states are represented. Among those confirmed are Iranian President Masoud Pazishkian, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas reached Doha on Sunday, while speculation continues about whether Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will attend despite his recent solidarity trip to Qatar.
Analysts see the Arab-Islamic Summit as a symbolic show of unity, especially from Gulf states with close ties to Washington. Some of those states normalized relations with Israel in 2020, yet now stand aligned with Qatar.
The draft resolution under discussion denounces Israel’s assault on Qatar as a destabilizing escalation. It also rejects any Israeli attempts to enforce new realities in the region. Diplomats note the resolution does not yet include sanctions but leaves space for amendments before leaders finalize it.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, in remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, said the message is clear: “Qatar is not alone, Arab and Islamic states stand with it.” His words underlined the central goal of the Arab-Islamic Summit to display solidarity and confront Israeli aggression with a united stance.