UN rights chief slams Israeli strike on Qatar as threat to peace
Speaking at a Human Rights Council debate in Geneva, Türk said the attack violated the right to life under international human rights law
NEW YORK, United States (MNTV) — UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk has condemned Israel’s Sept. 9 strike on Qatar, calling it a “shocking breach of international law” and an assault on global conflict-resolution efforts.
Speaking at a Human Rights Council debate in Geneva, Türk said the attack violated “the right to life under international human rights law and the principles of international humanitarian law.” He warned that targeting mediators endangered Qatar’s role as a broker in regional disputes.
“It is an attack on global efforts to resolve conflicts peacefully,” he said, linking the strike to Israel’s new displacement order for one million residents of Gaza City and its approval of the E1 settlement plan near East Jerusalem. Those moves, he cautioned, push the two-state solution “closer and closer to a point of no return.” Türk urged states to halt weapons transfers to Israel that risk breaching the laws of war.
The European Union voiced “full solidarity” with Qatar. Deike Potzel, representing the bloc, described Doha as “our strategic partner, which, alongside Egypt and the United States, plays a crucial role as mediator in Gaza.” She pressed all sides to maintain mediation channels, pursue a ceasefire, release hostages and allow unhindered humanitarian aid.
Qatar’s minister of state for international affairs, Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad, told the session the strike was “a flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the State of Qatar,” as well as a grave breach of basic rights including life, safety, education and child protection. She called it “state terrorism and a direct threat to regional and international peace.”
Al-Misnad said the incident fit into a broader effort to undermine Qatar’s diplomatic outreach but affirmed that Doha would continue its mediation and peace work despite such attacks.
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