Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani address to the 78th UN General Assembly, 19 Sep 2023 (English translation of Arabic original) — pre-October 7 doctrine

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Mr. President,

God has bestowed a favor on us by living in an era of unprecedented accelerating progress, in which an innovative spirit prevails in the fields of medicine, technology and science in general. The sequent innovations have brought about productivity, prosperity, and a level of communication between humans in a way close to realizing science fiction visions.

Although this evolution has enabled us to realize many wishes, yet it has come at a cost for the people of the world, our planet and its resources. Nevertheless, poverty and unemployment rates have also increased, and there is a growing awareness of the lack of justice in wealth distribution, in addition to the dire consequences on the environment.

In areas such as genetics and artificial intelligence, the possibilities for realizing the well-being of all humanity are increasing. But the gap between possibility and reality is also widening. However, as these possibilities are unfolding in the same era, there are peoples who are grappling with child labor, starvation, unemployment, and civil wars, while developed countries guard their borders against the influx of refugees fleeing this suffering, as if the peoples on earth are living in two different eras.

We must not forget that there are peoples around the world, especially in our region, who are absorbed by the present tragedies. If we truthfully constitute an international community, it must be our duty to strive towards ending the injustice afflicting them, at least in accordance with what is required by the resolutions of this body, and entailed by international law.

It is not acceptable for the Palestinian people to remain prisoners of the Israeli settler occupation arbitrariness, and the rejection of any just political solution in accordance with the principles of international legitimacy by successive Israeli governments. **You have to bear in mind that the failure of the international organization to take actions against the occupation provided and continues to provide the opportunity for Israel to undermine the foundations of the two-state solution by means of settlement expansion until the occupation has brazenly taken the form of an apartheid regime in the broad daylight of the twenty-first century.** Even some of Israel's close friends have taken notice of this.

Qatar provides political, humanitarian and development support to the brotherly Palestinian people and contributes towards rebuilding the Gaza Strip which is reeling under the siege.

In the case of Syria, it is not permissible to condone the gross injustice that has befallen the brotherly Syrian people as if it's destiny. The crisis is still awaiting a comprehensive settlement through a political process leading to a political transition, in accordance with the Geneva Declaration-1 and the Security Council Resolution 2254.

It is regrettable to witness the outbreak of violence in Sudan this year, which has left a dire impact on the brotherly Sudanese people and exacerbated refugee crisis. We affirm our support for all regional and international efforts to facilitate reaching a ceasefire and hold a dialogue between the Sudanese political forces about the future of Sudan, **with only one army charged with protecting rather than ruling the country.**

In the context of talking about our region, we reiterate our appreciation of the détente witnessed this year, as represented by constructive dialogue and re-establishment of ties between the sisterly countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Allow me to pinpoint the necessity for combating racism and campaigns of incitement against entire peoples, religions, and civilizations. On this occasion, I would say to my Muslim brethren that it is implausible for us to get distracted by an idiot or a biased person whenever it occurs to him to provoke us by burning the Qur'an or by other forms of triviality. The Qur'an is too Holy to be desecrated by a witless person. God Almighty said: "Embrace forgiveness and enjoin what is right and turn away from the ignorant." At the same time, I would say to all those who seek to justify these hideous acts as freedom of expression: **compromising the sanctity of others deliberately should not be seen as an example of the freedom of expression.**