When Israeli jets tore through Doha’s skies last week, striking a residential block that housed Hamas negotiators, they may also have set in motion something Israel has long feared: the birth of an Arab military alliance.
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The proposal, under discussion at an emergency Arab-Islamic summit that opened in Doha on Sunday, marks the most serious push towards regional military integration in decades.
Diplomatic sources and Arab media reported that the summit was poised to endorse the creation of a joint military coalition on Monday.
Egypt, which commands the Arab world’s largest army, is pressing for a Cairo-based “Arab Nato”, while Pakistan – the world’s only nuclear-armed Muslim state – has called for a joint task force to “monitor the Israeli designs in the region and adopt effective deterrent and offensive measures in a synchronised manner to ward off Israeli expansionist designs”.
“Israel must be held accountable for war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Pakistan’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, declared at the summit’s opening session.
“It should not be allowed to get away with attacking Islamic countries and killing people with impunity.”
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Explosions rock Doha as Israeli air strike targets Hamas leaders in Qatar
Explosions rock Doha as Israeli air strike targets Hamas leaders in Qatar
‘Endless cycle of bloodshed’