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Qatar issued an unusual statement calling for all of Israel’s nuclear facilities to be placed under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) supervision.
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday night urged for “greater international efforts to bring all Israeli nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards,” and for Israel to join the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
(Photo: Dana Kopel, Reuters / Saudi Press Agency/Handout)
According to the statement, Qatar’s ambassador to Austria, Jassim Yacoub Al-Hammadi — who also serves as the country's permanent representative to UN offices in Vienna — made the remarks during an IAEA Board of Governors meeting in the Austrian capital. The meeting addressed “the situation in the occupied Palestinian territories and Israel’s nuclear capabilities.”
“The ambassador stressed the need for the international community and its institutions to uphold their obligations under UN Security Council resolutions, the UN General Assembly, the IAEA and the 1995 NPT Review Conference, which called on Israel to place all its nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards,” Qatar’s foreign ministry said. “He noted that some of these resolutions explicitly urged Israel to join the NPT as a non-nuclear state.”
Al-Hammadi also said that “every Middle Eastern country except Israel” is a party to the NPT and has effective safeguard agreements with the IAEA.
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He accused Israel of maintaining “an aggressive policy,” citing “growing calls for the forced displacement of the Palestinian people, increased military operations against cities and refugee camps in the West Bank, obstruction of humanitarian aid to Gaza and continued restrictions on UNRWA’s operations.”
Doha also announced last week that it submitted a written memorandum to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding a request for an advisory opinion based on a UN General Assembly resolution from December 19, 2024. “The request seeks clarification on Israel’s obligations regarding UN activities, international organizations, and third-party entities,” the statement read.
The memorandum affirmed Israel’s duty to allow UN and international organizations —especially UNRWA and humanitarian agencies — to operate in Israel and the “occupied Palestinian territories.”
It also called on Israel to respect and protect UN and international property, including schools, medical facilities, transportation infrastructure and water resources, as well as the personnel working in them.
“Al-Hammadi stressed the urgency for the international community and its institutions to take decisive action to compel Israel to implement international resolutions, recognize the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and statehood, restore security and stability in the Middle East and prevent further global risks,” the Qatari statement concluded.