Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
Egypt’s Ambassador to the United Nations, Osama Abdelkhalek, drew significant attention and online reaction following a powerful address during a UN Security Council session on Thursday, in which he condemned Israel’s recent strike in Qatar and issued a pointed message: “Qatar does not stand alone.”
The ambassador’s remarks came days after an Israeli airstrike reportedly targeted members of Hamas in the Qatari capital of Doha, an unprecedented development that heightened regional tensions. Abdelkhalek’s speech was especially notable as it was delivered in the presence of Israel’s UN representative and marked one of the most direct condemnations of Israeli military actions by an Egyptian diplomat in recent years.
Abdelkhalek began his speech by acknowledging the ongoing mediation efforts led by Qatar, in coordination with Egypt and the United States, to broker a ceasefire in Gaza. He emphasized that these efforts aim to bring “security and peace to both the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.”
Turning sharply critical, the ambassador described the Israeli strike on Qatar as an act of aggression against a “sister Arab state,” adding that it was “neither the first of its kind nor likely to be the last since the onset of the Gaza crisis.” He asserted that the attack occurred in the context of what he described as “an ongoing act of genocide being perpetrated against the Palestinian people a reality that must not be ignored.”
In a firm warning to the Council, Abdelkhalek stated that under international law and the UN Charter, Qatar and any Arab state subjected to similar Israeli attacks has full legal recourse to respond. “This Council must not remain a passive observer in the face of such aggression,” he said, calling on members to act decisively.
The ambassador went on to accuse Israel of obstructing progress toward a ceasefire in Gaza, alleging that the country is prolonging the war to serve “extreme political and religious goals aimed at displacing the Palestinian people and erasing their cause.”
One of the most discussed lines from Abdelkhalek’s address “Qatar does not stand alone” was widely shared on social media, where users praised Egypt’s vocal defense of its Gulf ally and its broader support for Palestinian rights. The phrase quickly became a trending slogan across Arabic-language platforms, seen by many as a signal of Arab unity amid escalating regional tensions.
In a call to action, Abdelkhalek urged the Security Council to adopt an immediate resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter to halt Israeli military operations in Gaza and to support the efforts of mediators seeking a durable truce.
“The Middle East will not see peace or stability,” he concluded, “without a just and comprehensive solution that secures the establishment of an independent Palestinian state along the June 4, 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.”
The Egyptian diplomat’s remarks come at a time of heightened instability in the region, with fears growing that the conflict in Gaza could spill over into neighboring countries and derail fragile diplomatic progress. The response from the Israeli delegation to Abdelkhalek’s statements has yet to be issued, but the tone of Thursday’s session indicates that tensions within the Council remain high.
As efforts to reach a ceasefire continue, Abdelkhalek’s speech is being viewed by many analysts as a reassertion of Egypt’s traditional leadership role in the Arab world and a public reaffirmation of solidarity with both Palestine and Qatar.
