Qatar criticizes democracy in Israel at UN General Assembly — Jerusalem Post

On the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, representatives of Qatar promoted the issue of social rights and democratic renewal, while the country’s emir sharply criticized Israel’s democratic character. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Event on social rights

On Tuesday, the event “Realizing Social Rights and Renewing Democracy: From Doha and Chisinau to a New Democratic Compact for Europe” took place. Qatar was represented by Hanouf bint Abdulrahman Al Thani, director of the International Organizations Department at Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a member of the ruling family.

She described Qatar’s hosting of the Second World Summit for Social Development as a contribution to renewing the international commitment to putting people at the center of the development process and advancing social justice.

Statements regarding Israel

During a speech at the UN General Assembly, the emir of Qatar stated that Israel is not a democratic state in a hostile environment, as Israeli leaders allegedly claim, but is itself hostile toward its surroundings.

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Qatari media also covered the decision to bar Balad party candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the Knesset elections amid accusations of incitement to terrorism. Al Jazeera devoted extensive coverage to the matter, while Al Araby interviewed the politician.

Abu Shehadeh stated that the decision of the Central Elections Committee was aimed not only against him, but also at excluding the Arab community from political life and reducing turnout among its voters. British researcher Andreas Krieg, who teaches at King’s College London and previously served as an adviser to the Qatari Armed Forces, wrote on social media that this case disproves claims that Israel is the Middle East’s only democracy.

Dr. Ariel Admoni of Ariel University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security expressed the opinion that Qatar is using domestic events in Israel to portray the country negatively through selective coverage and biased interpretations.