Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for the formation of an Arab Islamic task force to counter Israel, as he strongly condemned Israel’s attack on Doha, describing it as a reckless and provocative act aimed at sabotaging peace efforts in the Middle East.
Addressing an emergency Arab-Islamic Summit in Doha, the prime minister said Israel’s airstrikes on Qatar were a flagrant violation of its sovereignty and territorial integrity. He emphasized that Pakistan stood in solidarity with its Qatari brothers and sisters.
He said Israel’s actions were not isolated incidents but part of a wider hegemonic agenda. “Even in wartime, the role of peace mediators is always inviolable and sacrosanct—they are the messengers of fragile hope,” he said, questioning Israel’s sincerity in negotiations and its disregard for human lives.
The prime minister lauded Qatar’s “sincere and tireless diplomatic efforts” under the leadership of its emir to bridge divides and promote regional as well as global peace. He said Israel’s genocidal campaign in Gaza had reduced the strip to “rubble and ruin” and called for its immediate halt.
Outlining urgent steps, Sharif said Israel must be held accountable for war crimes, its U.N. membership suspended, and stronger measures adopted by Arab and Islamic countries. He urged the U.N. Security Council to invoke Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, the release of hostages, and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners, along with guaranteed humanitarian access. “Above all, a just and lasting two-state solution must be achieved with the creation of an independent Palestinian state on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds as its capital,” he said.
The Emergency Arab-Islamic summit, held in Doha, was co-sponsored by Pakistan. It was convened in the wake of Israel’s airstrikes on Doha and the escalating developments in Palestine following Israeli attempts to occupy Gaza, expand settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and forcibly displace the Palestinians.
In the immediate aftermath of Israel’s airstrikes on Doha, the prime minister visited Doha as a gesture of solidarity and regional unity.
Joint statement
In a joint statement released after the Arab Islamic Emergency Summit, the gathered global leaders demanded international accountability, emphasizing that Israel’s repeated violations of international law pose a direct threat to regional and global peace.
The statement urged all states to hold Israel accountable by imposing sanctions, halting the transfer of weapons and military materials, reviewing their relations, and pursuing legal action. Describing the airstrikes on Doha as “cowardly and unlawful,” the gathered leaders said it amounted to a flagrant act of aggression against an Arab and Islamic state.
Reaffirming absolute solidarity with Qatar, the statement declared that aggression against one Arab or Islamic state is an attack on them all. The leaders pledged to stand firmly with Qatar in all measures it may take to defend its sovereignty, stability, and the safety of its people.
The statement warned that Israel’s assault on Qatar, a key mediator in ceasefire talks for Gaza, was also an attack on international peacemaking itself. Israel, they said, bore full responsibility for undermining mediation and diplomacy.
The leaders said Israel was responsible for genocide, ethnic cleansing, siege, and starvation against Palestinians and termed such actions as war crimes in violation of the Geneva Conventions. They condemned settlement expansion, forced displacement, and annexation attempts, describing them as crimes against humanity. The statement further called for urgent international action to end these practices, stressing that silence and inaction had emboldened Israel to persist in its aggressions and perpetuate a policy of impunity.
The leaders reaffirmed support for an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, rejecting any attempt to bypass or undermine the Palestinian cause. They endorsed Jordan’s custodianship of Al-Aqsa Mosque, declaring it a place of worship exclusively for Muslims. The communiqué also backed the enforcement of International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli officials and compliance with International Court of Justice rulings on genocide prevention in Gaza.
It welcomed the “New York Declaration” by the U.N. General Assembly supporting Palestinian statehood and the upcoming Two-State Solution Conference in New York, co-chaired by Saudi Arabia and France. It also valued efforts by Arab and Islamic states at the U.N. Security Council, especially Algeria, Somalia, and Pakistan, for defending the Palestinian cause and convening the emergency session on Israel’s attack against Qatar.
They said Israel’s aggression against Qatar was not an isolated act but part of a broader campaign that threatens the sovereignty of Arab and Islamic states, undermines international law, and destabilizes the region.