Doha: Syrian researchers and academics affirmed that the Emergency Arab-Islamic Summit to be held in Doha this Monday highlights the importance of reshaping a unified Arab and Islamic position toward the Israeli aggression that targeted residential compounds of several Hamas leaders in the Qatari capital, to confront Israeli policies, support the Palestinian people and their rights, and underscore Qatar's pivotal role in mediation efforts since the outbreak of the war.
According to Qatar News Agency, Dean of the Faculty of Media at Damascus University Dr. Khaled Za'rour said that holding the summit at this time carries significant implications, noting that it follows directly after the Israeli attack on a residential compound for Hamas members in Doha, marking the importance of both timing and content.
He added that the summit includes consensus on rejecting and condemning the aggression, considering it a pivotal shift in the series of Israeli attacks, as it targeted a state hosting negotiations and acting as a mediator. Dr. Za'rour explained that the summit will send a message of unity within the Arab ranks and that the Arab heart beats strongly in solidarity.
He noted that the aggression has influenced the Arab and Islamic stance by exposing the false Israeli narrative attempting to justify its attacks, emphasizing that positions will not be complete unless translated into practical steps, including full political and economic boycott, redrawing military and political alliances to identify the most loyal partners, and leveraging the economic power and geographic position of Arab states to strengthen the stance.
The dean pointed out that the aggression attempted to weaken Qatar's role but instead strengthened it, as Arab ambassadors' statements at the UN General Assembly showed that Qatar emerged from this aggression with a stronger and more influential position, reinforcing the Palestinian cause. He stressed that the political and diplomatic response should focus on containing the aggressor and exposing its claims, not merely preventing the recurrence of the attacks.
Similarly, political researcher Omar Idlibi from the Harmoon Center for Studies said that the emergency summit reflects a rare unity in the Arab and Islamic stance and clear solidarity with Qatar in facing aggression that crosses all red lines. Idlibi explained that convening the summit following Qatar's political and diplomatic efforts and international condemnations demonstrates the participating states' determination to coordinate positions to confront Israeli aggression toward the Palestinian people and regional states, highlight the plight of Palestinians in the West Bank, and engage the international community in serious efforts to revive the two-state solution and the Palestinian right to an independent state.
He added that the participating states possess various instruments of influence, notably economic leverage, to create tangible impact on international approaches to regional issues and curb leniency toward Israeli aggression. Idlibi emphasized that Qatari diplomacy demonstrated great capacity in responding to the aggression through official statements denouncing it as a treacherous attack, and extensive diplomatic efforts in capitals and the UN Security Council to garner support for Qatar's position, culminating in the call for the Arab-Islamic summit to discuss and coordinate responses and support the Palestinian people against Israeli policies.
He noted that Qatari mediation had previously succeeded, in partnership with Egypt and the United States, in achieving a partial ceasefire agreement and the release of several prisoners and hostages. The recent Israeli aggression represented a severe blow to the mediation process but also an opportunity to mobilize Arab and international positions to pressure the occupation and engage in serious negotiations to end the Gaza war tragedy and pave the way for a comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue.
Idlibi added that the success of these efforts requires Qatar to maintain a firm stance and leverage the widespread condemnations of the aggression to secure international support for mediation efforts and concrete guarantees compelling the occupation to halt undermining negotiations, a goal the Doha summit can achieve with Arab and Islamic backing.
The expert on Israeli affairs Khaled Khalil told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the Israeli attack on a residential compound in Qatar crossed all boundaries, reaching an unprecedented level of criminality. He emphasized that this treacherous and sudden aggression against the mediator and negotiating party constitutes a serious criminal precedent, sounding the alarm for Arab and Islamic national security, particularly Gulf security.
Khalil explained that the scale of Israel's crimes in Gaza and the region is directly proportional to the absence of countermeasures, making it imperative to activate available deterrence tools through all political, diplomatic, and economic means. He added that the call for an emergency meeting of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which includes 57 countries and forms the largest political bloc after the United Nations, represents a key step to confront the aggression, especially as the OIC's ministerial council has played an increasingly prominent political role in recent years.
Khalil highlighted the need to build alliances with the European Union and Western countries that have shown growing criticism of Israel, leveraging international opinion to politically, economically, and diplomatically pressure Israel. This is particularly crucial amid rising accusations of genocide in Gaza and the recent recognition of the Palestinian state by six European countries within less than two weeks, coinciding with UN General Assembly sessions.
He pointed out that the extensive condemnation and multiple visits from Islamic states demonstrated broad support and solidarity with Qatar. Khalil warned that if Israel does not face firm political and diplomatic pressure, it will continue its crimes without restraint.
Khalil described the attack on Qatar as a historic warning, highlighting the need for serious Arab and Islamic action that goes beyond statements. He noted that the current Israeli leadership pursues extremist ideological projects under a historical and religious cover, disregarding strategic and rational calculations, a suicidal path that risks further regional escalation.
He underlined that targeting a residential compound of Hamas members in Qatar, a mediating state and active diplomatic player, as well as a major Washington ally outside NATO, represents a dangerous development that could reignite the Arab-Israeli conflict, which Israel has sought to confine to its bilateral conflict with Palestinians.
Khalil added that the attack stains the extremist Israeli right and underscores the role of Qatar in activating necessary tools to hold aggressors accountable and push for a firm collective Arab stance, ensuring Israel cannot impose a de facto reality or solidify new security facts. He emphasized that the current stage presents a historic opportunity for Arab and Islamic states to use international forums to condemn Israel, hold it accountable for its crimes, enhance its global isolation, and translate Arab and Islamic solidarity into practical measures that protect Palestinian rights and restore the issue to the international agenda.
Experts concluded that the Emergency Summit in Doha represents a critical opportunity to unify Arab and Islamic positions, transform solidarity into concrete steps supporting Palestinian resilience, halting Israeli attacks on Gaza, and strengthening Qatar's role as a pivotal and effective mediator in political and diplomatic efforts. Analysts noted that the targeting of the residential compound in Qatar did not weaken its position; rather, it reinforced its regional and international role, making the summit a key platform to coordinate responses to Israeli aggression and activate political, diplomatic, and economic pressure tools against Israel, ensuring the protection of Palestinian rights and reaffirming adherence to international law and UN resolutions.