Kenya Denounces Israeli Strike in Qatar, Calls for Dialogue
Kenya also appealed to Israel, Qatar, and the global community at large to be restrained and not take matters any further.
Kenya also appealed to Israel, Qatar, and the global community at large to be restrained and not take matters any further.Photo/Courtesy
By Juliet Jerotich
Kenya has condemned Israeli recent air strikes in Doha, Qatar, as a violation of the Gulf nation’s sovereignty and a threat to regional and world peace. The Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs issued a statement Thursday condemning the attack that resulted in deaths, injuries, and loss of property.
Israel claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted Doha residential zones, Nairobi stated. Such actions are against international law and contradict norms of peaceful coexistence contained in the United Nations Declaration on Friendly Relations among States, Nairobi noted.
“The conduct undermines the norms of sovereignty and territorial integrity guiding the conduct of states,” the ministry said.
Kenya also appealed to Israel, Qatar, and the global community at large to be restrained and not take matters any further. It was all about diplomacy and friendly dialogue instead of aggression. “Kenya appeals to all parties to embrace restraint, to respect other nations’ sovereignty, and prioritize diplomacy over conflict under arms,” the ministry further stated.
The remarks came after Tuesday’s strike, in which Israeli aircraft bombed an apartment building claimed to be sheltering leaders of the Palestinian group Hamas. Accounts have testified that several individuals were killed in the attack.
Among the dead were Humam Al-Hayya (Abu Yahya), son of Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, and Jihad Labad (Abu Bilal), who ran al-Hayya’s office. Others slain were Abdullah Abdul Wahid (Abu Khalil), Moamen Hassouna (Abu Omar), Ahmed Al-Mamluk (Abu Malik), and Corporal Badr Saad Mohammed Al-Humaidi, a member of Qatar’s internal security. Some others were wounded.
Kenya’s call for restraint is a demonstration of its unwavering foreign policy position that differences be settled by peaceful and respectful means. In denouncing the attack, Nairobi reasserted its commitment to multilateralism and world peace.
The government reasserted that negotiations remain the sole tenable means of addressing conflicts, warning that uncalibrated escalation in the Gulf can have global implications for international peace and security.
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