Says illegal Israeli policies and actions undermine prospects for a viable Palestinian state
Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, at the meeting on the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Photo:
Pakistan warned the UN Security Council on Saturday that Israeli settlement expansion and annexation moves in the occupied West Bank were destroying prospects for a viable Palestinian state and urged “influential” nations to hold Israel accountable.
Speaking at the Council meeting on the West Bank, convened by the United Kingdom, France and other Council members, UN Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad condemned Israel’s efforts to transform “de facto annexation into de jure control” through new legislative and administrative measures.
“The systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, the expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land confiscations and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention,” he said. “Illegal Israeli policies and actions, unprecedented in scale and impact, are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.”
Ahmad said recent Israeli actions, including land confiscation mechanisms and expanded settlement authority, violated international law and the Fourth Geneva Convention. He urged immediate reversal of the policies.
Statement by Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad,
Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN,
At the Arria Formula meeting on the situation in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem
(May 8, 2026)
****
We thank the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, Greece and Latvia for convening this… pic.twitter.com/hFWPzyOjqC— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) May 8, 2026
The ambassador said settlement expansion had accelerated markedly in recent years, noting that Israel had approved 102 new settlements in almost four years.
He also criticized the controversial E-1 settlement project near East Jerusalem, warning that it would make a geographically contiguous Palestinian state impossible.
Pakistan also expressed alarm at the rise in violence by the occupiers, citing UN data showing that 2025 saw the highest number of occupier attacks against Palestinians since documentation began in 2006.
Read more: 60 former UK ambassadors warn of Israel’s West Bank annexation moves
Reaffirming Pakistan’s support for a two-state solution, he said lasting peace required ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital.
The meeting was organized by the Permanent Missions of Denmark, France, Greece, Latvia and the United Kingdom to provide members of the Security Council with the opportunity to hear testimony on the challenges affecting Palestinians living in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
