March 29, 2017•Update: March 31, 2017
By Ahmed al-Masri
AMMAN, Jordan
Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani on Wednesday urged rival Palestinian factions to overcome their differences and establish a viable national unity government.
Al-Thani made the remarks in a speech delivered at the 28th Arab League summit, which was held today in Jordan’s Dead Sea region.
The emir also used the occasion to blast Israel’s decades-long occupation of Palestinian land, calling for “collective action to pressure the international community -- and the UN Security Council -- to reject the establishment of an apartheid regime”.
He went on to call for stepped-up international pressure on Israel with a view to "stopping ongoing violations against the Palestinian people, lifting the unjust blockade on the Gaza Strip, and [forcing Israel] to engage in serious peace talks".
"Palestinian unity is the key to ending the occupation," he said, stressing Qatar’s ongoing efforts to achieve reconciliation between the Gaza-based Hamas movement and the West Bank-based Fatah movement.
Regarding Syria, al-Thani called on the Assad regime “to implement resolutions adopted at the Geneva 1 conference that call for the formation of a transitional authority" to temporarily run the country’s affairs.
He added: "The Syrian regime must also be forced to implement Security Council Resolution 2336, which calls for the speedy and safe access of humanitarian agencies all over Syria."
The emir also urged Arab states to meet their humanitarian obligations to help the war-weary Syrian people.
