DOHA, Sept 15 (AFP): Qatar's prime minister urged the international community on Sunday to reject "double standards" and hold Israel accountable, speaking on the eve of an emergency summit called in response to an unprecedented Israeli strike on Hamas members in Doha.
The deadly attack-carried out by one US ally on the territory of another-sparked a wave of criticism, including a rebuke from President Donald Trump, who nonetheless dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio to Israel in a show of support.
Monday's emergency gathering of Arab and Islamic leaders will serve as a pointed show of unity among Gulf countries and seek to pile more pressure on Israel, which is already facing mounting calls to bring an end to the war and humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"The time has come for the international community to stop using double standards and to punish Israel for all the crimes it has committed," Qatari premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told a preparatory meeting on Sunday, adding Israel's "war of extermination" in Gaza would not succeed.
"What is encouraging Israel to continue... is the silence, the inability of the international community to hold it accountable."
Days after Israel attacked Qatar in an airstrike targeting Hamas leaders, US President Donald Trump made careful remarks Sunday as Washington's two powerful Middle Eastern allies face a worsening rift.
"Qatar has been a very great ally. Israel and everyone else, we have to be careful. When we attack people we have to be careful," Trump told reporters.
Trump initially rebuked Israel over Tuesday's unprecedented strike on Doha, where negotiators from Israel and Hamas have been working to end the war in Gaza.