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The file photo shows a view of part of the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Photo: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD:
In a strongly worded joint statement issued just days before US President Donald Trump is set to chair the maiden Board of Peace summit on Gaza, Pakistan and seven other key Muslim countries on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as “state land” and expand settlement activity.
According to the joint statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar “strongly condemn” Israel’s decision to designate lands in the occupied West Bank as so-called “state land” and approve procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership across extensive areas of the territory for the first time since 1967.
The joint statement termed the move an “illegal step” and a “grave escalation” aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control and applying unlawful Israeli sovereignty over the Occupied Palestinian Territory, while undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The ministers affirmed that the measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, particularly the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, foremost among them United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.
They further stated that the decision contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice concerning the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
The opinion underscored the illegality of measures intended to alter the legal, historical and demographic status of the territory, the obligation to end the occupation and the prohibition on the acquisition of territory by force.
The statement said the move reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over occupied land, thereby undermining the two-state solution, eroding prospects for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state and jeopardising efforts to achieve a just and comprehensive peace in the region.
The ministers reiterated their categorical rejection of all unilateral measures aimed at altering the legal, demographic and historical status of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, warning that such policies constitute a dangerous escalation that would further heighten tensions and instability in the territory and the wider region.
They called upon the international community to assume its responsibilities and take clear and decisive steps to halt these violations, ensure respect for international law and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, foremost among them the right to self-determination, ending the occupation and establishing an independent and sovereign state along the 4 June 1967 lines, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Separately, the Foreign Office announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will visit New York on February 18 to participate in a high-level United Nations Security Council briefing on the situation in Palestine.
The meeting will be chaired by the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary in her capacity as President of the Security Council.
During the briefing, Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s principled and consistent position on Palestine and reiterate strong opposition to Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank.
He will emphasise the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, scaled-up humanitarian assistance and the early commencement of Gaza’s recovery and reconstruction.
The deputy prime minister will also underscore Pakistan’s continued engagement with international and regional partners, including the Group of Eight Arab and Islamic countries and the United States, in support of a just and lasting peace anchored in international law, leading to the realisation of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
On the sidelines of the visit, Dar will hold bilateral meetings with counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest.
