Qatar criticizes Israel democracy, promotes own advancing social rights during UN General Assembly

During the UN General Assembly week in New York, Qatar took the opportunity to highlight its own advancements in social rights and democracy. A member of the Qatari ruling family, Hanouf bint Abdulrahman Al Thani, who serves as the director of the International Organizations Department at the Foreign Ministry, represented Qatar at the event titled "Realizing Social Rights and Renewing Democracy: From Doha and Chisinau to a New Democratic Compact for Europe."

Qatar emphasized its role in hosting the Second World Summit for Social Development, emphasizing their commitment to placing people at the core of development and promoting social justice. The Qatari official utilized this platform to criticize Israel, questioning its democratic credentials. In a speech to the General Assembly, the Emir of Qatar described Israel as not a democratic state but rather a hostile entity towards its environment.

The disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh, the head of the Balad party, for the Knesset due to allegations of incitement to terrorism, also received significant attention from Qatar. Al Jazeera and Al Araby channel extensively covered the case, with Shehadeh arguing that the decision was aimed at silencing an entire community and suppressing voter turnout in Arab society.

British researcher Andreas Krieg, a lecturer at King's College London, argued that the disqualification of Shehadeh disproved the assertion that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East.

Academic Ariel Admoni of Ariel University and the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security believed that Qatar employs Israel's internal issues to portray the country negatively, through selective reporting and biased interpretations.