Queen Elizabeth II: A complete guide to Middle East leaders at the funeral

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain's longest serving monarch, will be given a state funeral at 11 am on Monday. 

London's Westminister Abbey is set to be inundated with presidents, prime ministers, kings, queens, emirs and other dignitaries from all over the world. 

This is The New Arab's guide on who from the Middle East will be in attendance.

Jordan 

Jordan’s King Abdullah II will attend Queen Elizabeth’s funeral, as confirmed by CNN. There’s no confirmation yet on whether his wife, Queen Rania, will accompany him. 

Amman and London have maintained close relations since Jordan gained independence from Britain in 1946. Abdullah, whose mother was born in Britain, called the late queen an "iconic leader" and "dear family friend".

Jordan mourns the passing of an iconic leader. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II was a beacon of wisdom and principled leadership for seven decades. She was a partner for Jordan and a dear family friend. We stand with the people and leadership of the UK at this difficult time

— عبدالله بن الحسين (@KingAbdullahII) September 8, 2022

Saudi Arabia 

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the de-facto leader of Saudi Arabia, is no longer expected to attend Queen Elizabeth's funeral, according to Reuters on Sunday.

Earlier reports said the crown prince would travel to London and "deliver his country’s condolences" to the British royal family. However, a UK foreign office source later denied these claims. 

The Gulf Kingdom will instead be represented by Prince Turki bin Mohammed al Saud. Prince Turki is a minister of state and has been a member of the cabinet since 2018. 

Turkey

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu will represent Ankara at the Queen’s funeral, according to Turkish news reports.

Earlier articles in the UK Daily Mail and Telegraph said Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan will attend the event "if [his] schedule allows". However, he is no longer expected to be among the crowd. 

Erdogan said he was "saddened" to learn of the monarch’s death on September 8 and expressed his condolences to the Royal Family.

Lebanon

Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati is expected to attend the funeral. 

When Mikati declared three days of national mourning following the Queen's death, many Lebanese were outraged. Only a single day of mourning was declared after the August 4 2020 explosion, where over 200 people died. 

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati issued a memorandum declaring 3 days of official mourning on the occasion of the death of Queen Elizabeth II.
Lebanese flag also flys at half this morning at the presidential palace in Baabda pic.twitter.com/Wz7pDYcz2V

— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) September 9, 2022

Oman 

Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik flew to the UK on Friday to pay his respects to the Queen, according to a statement issued by the Diwan of Royal Court. 

He will attend the funeral, according to reports in British media. 

His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik is heading to the United Kingdom tomorrow to offer condolences on the death of Queen Elizabeth II and congratulate King Charles III.#omanspire #oman #UnitedKingdom #QueenElizabethII #KingCharlesIII @UKinOman pic.twitter.com/utlipdmA3Q

— omanspire (@omanspire) September 15, 2022

Qatar 

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, the Emir of Qatar, will be attending the funeral. He left for the British capital on Saturday, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA). 

Bahrain 

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa will attend the funeral. He also travelled to London on Saturday, according to News of Bahrain. 

Kuwait 

The crown prince of Kuwait, Sheikh Mishal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, is expected to make an appearance, reported Arab media sites.  

Palestine 

Palestine Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh is expected to attend, as well as the Palestinian ambassador to the UK, Husam Zomlot. 

This was confirmed to The New Arab by the Palestinian diplomatic mission in the UK. 

Following the Queen's death, Zomlot said the late monarch was "an anchor in stormy seas and a model of decorum and order in a turbulent world". 

Her Majesty leaves behind a formidable legacy. She was an anchor in stormy seas and a model of decorum and order in a turbulent world. Our deepest condolences to the Royal Family, UK government and the British people. May she rest in eternal peace. @JamesCleverly @RoyalFamily https://t.co/2Xt7wNyH6e

— Husam Zomlot (@hzomlot) September 8, 2022

Israel 

Israel’s president, Isaac Herzog, is expected to go to the funeral, as confirmed by the Times of Israel last Tuesday. He will fly to London on Sunday, and is slated to attend King Charles’ reception that day for heads of state and royal families. 

Prime Minister Yair Lapid will not attend. 

The Queen never visited Israel during her nearly 71 years on the throne.

Iran

Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi was not sent an invitation to the funeral. However, the BBC reported that Tehran would be represented at an ambassadorial level. 

There has been no public condolence to the British royal family from any top-ranking Iranian official to date. When news of the Queen’s death broke, state media outlets instead focused on her supposed role in the 1953 coup d’etat that ousted Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh. Front page headlines read: "The end of the Queen of Coups."

While Queen Elizabeth II did not play a direct role in British imperialism and actually reigned as the empire declined, Iranians will never forget the role Britain once played in exploiting their country’s wealth and controlling their destiny.https://t.co/duPxsNak98

— IranSource (@ACIranSource) September 18, 2022

Syria 

Syria is one of six nations that will not be invited to the funeral. Other countries include Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Venezuela and Taliban-run Afghanistan. 

The UK has no diplomatic ties with Syria and has supported the political opposition since the outbreak of the Syrian Revolution in 2011. It has imposed a host of sanctions against the Bashar al-Assad regime alongside other western countries.

Away from the Middle East - China's Uighur persecution leads to banning of delegation

A Chinese government delegation has been banned from attending the lying-in-state of Queen Elizabeth II, reported the BBC on Friday.

Last year, China imposed travel bans and asset freezes on nine Britons - including seven parliamentarians - for accusing Beijing of persecuting Uighur Muslims.

Global rights organisation, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, have documented the systematic incarceration of Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang region. 

Uighurs and other Muslim communities in these "education centres" have been subjected to torture and forced sterilisations, in what many rights groups have described as a genocide.

In response, Britain banned China’s ambassador from parliament - a move which they have seemingly extended to a Chinese delegation visiting London after the late monarch’s death.