Pakistan Condemns Israel’s Defence of Qatar Attack

Iftikhar Ali

New York: A heated exchange erupted at the United Nations Security Council after Israel attempted to justify its recent strikes in Doha by invoking the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden—drawing a sharp and uncompromising rebuttal from Pakistan’s Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad.

The Council’s debate, convened by Pakistan, Algeria, and Somalia under South Korea’s presidency, was meant to focus on the worsening Middle East situation. Instead, it became a stage for fiery rhetoric as Israeli Ambassador Danny Dannon defended the attack on Qatari soil, framing it as part of Israel’s broader fight against Hamas.

“There is no sanctuary for terrorists, not in Gaza, not in Tehran, not in Doha,” Dannon declared, warning that Qatar must expel Hamas or face further Israeli action. He drew a parallel with Washington’s operation against Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011, claiming Israel’s actions should be viewed in the same light.

But Ambassador Ahmad pushed back forcefully, calling the comparison “ludicrous” and dismissing it as a false analogy meant to deflect attention from Israel’s own violations of international law.

“It is unacceptable, indeed, ludicrous, for an aggressor, an occupier, a serial violator of the UN Charter and international law—that is Israel—to abuse this chamber and disrespect the sanctity of this Council,” Ahmad said in his right of reply.

The Pakistani envoy reminded the Council that Pakistan’s sacrifices in the global fight against terrorism were well recognized. “Al Qaeda was largely decimated due to Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts,” he said. “We remain committed to this global, collective endeavor.”

Ahmad went further, characterizing Israel itself as the “perpetrator of the worst kind of state terrorism,” citing decades of occupation in Palestine and the devastating toll of its current military campaign in Gaza. He accused Israel of ignoring international courts, threatening global institutions, and “playing the victim” despite its role as the aggressor.

The remarks highlighted the deep political rift inside the Council chamber. Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani also delivered a blistering address, condemning Israel’s September 9 strike on a residential compound in Doha that hosted Hamas negotiators and their families. The attack, he said, was a direct violation of Qatar’s sovereignty and a deliberate attempt to sabotage fragile ceasefire talks.

“Have you heard of any State that is attacking the mediator this way?” he asked. “Israel—led by bloodthirsty extremists—has gone beyond any borders, any limitation when it comes to behaviour among States and individuals.”

The Qatari leader drew a sharp contrast with the Taliban’s Doha-based political bureau, which facilitated U.S.-Taliban talks that ended the war in Afghanistan. “The United States never targeted the negotiators,” he said, stressing that Israel’s approach was destabilizing the region and undermining any prospect for peace.

Pakistan’s ambassador echoed those concerns, warning that striking at mediators was not only reckless but a calculated move to derail diplomacy. “It is evident that Israel, the occupying power, is determined to undermine and destroy every possibility of peace,” Ahmad said.

For now, the Security Council remains divided, with many members condemning the Doha strike but unable to push through a binding resolution. Observers noted that Israel’s defiance, coupled with its invocation of the bin Laden raid, underscores both the geopolitical stakes and the Council’s continued paralysis.

As Ahmad summed up in his rebuttal: “Shielded by its apologists, Israel feigns victimhood. But today, it is totally exposed.”