Leaders hailing from nations and governments accused of numerous human rights violations gathered at the World Economic Forum (WEF) this week to lecture attendees on a host of issues, ranging from conflict in the Middle East to climate change.
The conference began on Monday in Davos, Switzerland, where billionaires, world leaders and policy experts met to discuss a broad range of issues, including politics and elections, war and conflict, climate change, technology and disinformation. Speakers have included representatives from Iran, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Rwanda and Azerbaijan, all of which have been accused of human rights and international law violations.
Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian gave a keynote speech on “achieving security and cooperation in a fractured world” at the conference Wednesday. During his speech, Amir-Abdollahian claimed that broader conflict in the Middle East could be resolved if Israel ended its “genocide” against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters.
“An end to the genocide in Gaza will lead to an end of military actions and crises in the region,” Amir-Abdollahian said at the WEF on Wednesday. “The security of the Red Sea is tied to the developments in Gaza, and everyone will suffer if Israel’s crimes in Gaza do not stop.”
A considerable amount of the current conflict in the Middle East stems from Iran, which is designated by the U.S. as the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism. It funds and masterminds over a dozen different Islamic terror and militia groups throughout the region, including Hamas and Hezbollah, according to the State Department.
Hamas launched terrorist attacks against Israel on Oct. 7, killing over 1,200 civilians and kidnapping hundreds of others. Israel has launched a sweeping counteroffensive in the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas from the region, an arduous and ongoing process.
Amir-Abdollahian has strong ties to Iran’s terror network; he has met with Hamas leaders on several occasions and actively defends the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks against Israel, according to Foreign Policy magazine. Amir-Abdollahian is a partner of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) and refers to himself as a “solider” for Qasem Soleimani, the former IRGC commander who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in 2020.
Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani also attended the WEF conference this week, speaking Tuesday about how the world can become more secure and safe through global cooperation. Al-Thani, similar to Amir-Abdollahian, said that the escalating conflict in the Middle East cannot be quelled until Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza ends, according to Middle East Monitor.
“We need to address the real issue, which is Gaza, in order to get everything else defused,” Sheikh Mohammed said at the WEF conference on Tuesday, claiming that Israel’s war “is a recipe for escalation everywhere,” according to the Monitor. “We shouldn’t just focus on those small conflicts, we should focus on the main conflict in Gaza, and as soon as it’s defused, I believe everything else will be defused.”
Qatar has been accused by several U.S. allies of state-sponsored terrorism, and serves as a hub for terror financing and a “safe haven for religious extremists expelled by other countries,” according to The Counter Extremism Project. Qatar indirectly funds Hamas with hundreds of millions of dollars through its funding of Gaza and has blamed Israel as being “responsible” for the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, according to The Foundation of Defense for Democracies.
Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan attended the WEF conference and similarly spoke on Tuesday about discord in the Middle East, pointing to the current Red Sea conflict and subsequent impacts on travel and trade in the region as a major “concern” for Saudi Arabia, according to Bloomberg. Farhan said that Saudi Arabia is interested in resuming diplomacy talks with Israel, but only after the war in Gaza ends and Palestine is formalized as a state.
“Peace and security for Israel is intimately linked with peace and security for the Palestinians,” Farhan said Wednesday. “We agree that regional peace includes peace with Israel. But that can only happen through a Palestinian state.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the Israeli government opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, according to The Associated Press. The Biden administration has been at odds with Netanyahu as to what should happen with Gaza once the war ends.
Saudi Arabia has been accused of several “deplorable” human rights violations, including multiple accounts of torture and abuse in detention centers, prolonged arbitrary detention and legal corruption, according to the State Department. The U.S. Director of National Intelligence has accused Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) of orchestrating the death of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 over a tweet he made that was critical of the kingdom,
Another Davos attendee, Rwandan Dictator Paul Kagame spoke on Wednesday alongside a panel of notable guests, including former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, about the need for increased global cooperation on “pressing issues,” such as “trade, climate and health, and geopolitical flashpoints.” Kagame also met with several senior government leaders and officials on the sidelines of the conference, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Kagame seized control of Rwanda in 1994 and, because the country voted to change constitutional rules on term limits after he took power, could rule until 2034, according to The Guardian. Under Kagame’s regime, free speech is repressed and political opposition is met with threats, arbitrary arrests and legal retaliation, according to the State Department.
Azerbaijani Economic Minister Mikayil Jabbarov spoke Tuesday at a WEF panel with others guests and Biden administration Climate Envoy John Kerry on how global partners can coalesce to fight climate change. Jabbarov touted Azerbaijan’s ongoing transition to “green” energy and that his country will host The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in 2024.
Azerbaijan has been accused of committing grave human rights abuses against 120,000 Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Asia, by installing a blockade against the region in late 2022 and preventing food and medicine from being imported, starving Armenians inside. Azerbaijan launched a military takeover of the disputed Karabakh region in late 2023, and over 100,000 Armenians subsequently fled back to their home country.
Azerbaijan’s government represses free speech and political opposition through arbitrary charges and arrests, and many prisoners in the country’s detention centers are subject to torture and poor treatment, according to the State Department. Azerbaijan has an infamous record of human rights abuses and violence against women, which the government has not properly addressed.
The WEF 2024 conference was held from Jan. 15 to Jan. 19.
The WEF did not respond to a request for comment.
Jake Smith on January 20, 2024
