The Arab-Islamic Emergency Summit in Doha, held on September 15, 2025, concluded with a historic declaration demanding sweeping international sanctions against Israel. Leaders from 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) states and 22 Arab League nations jointly condemned Israel’s recent airstrike on Doha, which killed a Qatari security officer and five Hamas members. The summit emphasized that aggression against one Arab or Islamic state is an attack on all, pledging to strengthen joint defense through the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani opened the summit with strong words, calling the September 9 airstrike a “treacherous and cowardly” act. The attack struck a residential compound where Hamas negotiators were reviewing a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. The Emir accused Israel of sabotaging peace efforts and questioned the legitimacy of its participation in negotiations.
The final communiqué denounced the attack as a flagrant violation of international law and a direct assault on diplomatic mediation. Qatar’s previous mediation had secured the release of 138 hostages, highlighting the significance of its role in peace negotiations. Leaders warned that Israel’s actions risked triggering a “new and perilous chapter” in the region.
Summit leaders urged all nations to:
Impose immediate sanctions on Israel
Suspend arms transfers and military cooperation
Review diplomatic and economic relations
The declaration also demanded Israel’s suspension from the United Nations for repeated violations of the UN Charter.
The communiqué endorsed the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrants against Israeli officials and reaffirmed the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings on genocide prevention in Gaza. Leaders welcomed the UN General Assembly’s New York Declaration on Palestinian statehood and backed the Two-State Solution Conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.
The summit accused Israel of committing genocide, ethnic cleansing, siege, and starvation in Gaza. Since October 2023, more than 64,800 Palestinians—mostly women and children—have been killed.
Key statistics highlighted in the communiqué:
83% of casualties were civilians
1.9 million Palestinians displaced
500,000 facing starvation
The declaration reaffirmed support for an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. Jordan’s custodianship of Al-Aqsa Mosque was also emphasized, asserting it as a site exclusively for Muslim worship.
Despite Arab-Islamic unity, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, pledging continued U.S. military support for Israel and declaring that Hamas must “cease to exist.” His subsequent visit to Qatar was viewed as a diplomatic attempt to salvage mediation but drew criticism for his refusal to condemn the Doha attack.
The summit explicitly criticized the United States and its allies for enabling Israel’s actions. Leaders referenced the U.S. April 2024 veto of Palestine’s full UN membership as an example of Western double standards. The communiqué urged the international community to end its silence, which only emboldens Israeli impunity.
The Doha summit marked a defining moment of Arab and Islamic solidarity, signaling a united front against Israeli aggression. By calling for sanctions, legal accountability, and collective defense, Arab and Islamic leaders underscored their resolve to defend Palestinian rights, regional sovereignty, and international law.