NHRC Calls on Arab League to Support Efforts to Expose Israeli Violations in Context of Aggression against Qatar
Cairo, September 20 (QNA) - HE Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, and member of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, called on General Secretariat of the League of Arab States to support NHRC's regional and international efforts to expose the grave Israeli violations committed in context of the aggression against the State of Qatar, and to amplify voices of victims before all international and regional human rights bodies and mechanisms.
During a meeting of the Arab Network delegation with HE Secretary-General of the Arab League, Dr. Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Her Excellency stressed the importance of the League's backing for accountability and investigation efforts, including prosecuting those responsible for serious human rights violations and crimes and ensuring they do not escape punishment. She highlighted the dangers of violations resulting from the Israeli aggression, which targeted a populated area that included schools and diplomatic missions.
The meeting, held in Cairo, was attended by HE President of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions, Samar Haj Hassan, HE Secretary-General of the Arab Network, Sultan bin Hassan Al Jamali, and heads of human rights bodies and centers from several Arab countries. Al Attiyah urged the League to support the outcomes of the Arab Network's extraordinary General Assembly, convened last Tuesday.
She explained that immediately after the attacks on Qatar, NHRC sent urgent appeals to trigger international action against the aggression. Letters were addressed to HE Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres; HE UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk; HE President of UN Human Rights Council, Jurg Lauber; as well as the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and its four regional networks. Communications were also sent to leading international and regional human rights organizations, including International Labour Organization, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Penal Reform International, International Federation of Journalists, and UN Development Programme.
Her Excellency affirmed that this aggression also constitutes a flagrant violation of international law provisions related to protection of civilians, and of international human rights law, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees children's right to protection and safety.
She noted that the Israeli attack on Qatar caused humanitarian tragedies and severe material damage, in addition to deep psychological impacts on civilians - particularly women and children - turning residential areas into zones of fear and terror.
Al Attiyah added that the communications clarified how the shelling struck a civilian area containing schools, nurseries, diplomatic residences, and several embassies, placing diplomats, children, and families in direct danger. She noted that the presence of a fuel station in the targeted area posed an imminent risk of a wider humanitarian catastrophe.
She further stressed that reports indicate rising cases of trauma among schoolchildren and women, underscoring the urgent need for international attention and immediate measures to protect civilians and ensure accountability.
NHRC Chairperson called for incorporating the Israeli aggression against Qatar and its resulting grave human rights violations on the agenda of Arab League's Permanent Human Rights Committee at its next session, emphasizing the League's pivotal role in supporting the recommendations of the Arab Network's extraordinary meeting.
She also underlined the importance of the Arab League in strengthening comprehensive reform of the United Nations system, to end double standards and impunity in dealing with violations committed by Israeli occupation forces against civilians. Al Attiyah revealed that she called for an emergency meeting of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the coming days.
In a related context, she reviewed the NHRC's efforts to document and expose the grave violations resulting from the aggression in its communications with relevant regional and international bodies, and to reveal all violations committed by Israeli forces against civilians.
Finally, Al Attiyah praised the efforts of the Arab League's General Secretariat and its supportive stance toward Qatar and its people in the face of the Israeli attacks, commending at the same time the broad Arab and Islamic solidarity with the victims and their families. (QNA)
