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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 just days before US President Donald Trump chairs the first Gaza Peace Board summit, Pakistan and seven other key Muslim countries on Tuesday condemned Israel’s decision to designate land in the occupied West Bank as “state lands” 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 lands” and approve procedures for the registration and settlement of land ownership in large areas of the territory for the first time since 1967.
The joint statement called the move an “illegal step” and a “serious escalation” aimed at accelerating illegal settlement activity, land confiscation, entrenching Israeli control and enforcing illegal Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory, while undermining the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people.
The ministers stated that the measures represent a flagrant violation of international law and international humanitarian law, in particular the Fourth Geneva Convention, as well as relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, including United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334.
They further stated that the decision contradicts the advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israeli policies and practices in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The ruling underlined the illegality of measures aimed at altering the legal, historical and demographic status of the territory, the obligation to end the occupation and the prohibition of acquiring territory by force.
The statement said the move reflects an attempt to impose a new legal and administrative reality designed to consolidate control over the occupied lands, thereby undermining the two-state solution, eroding prospects for the establishment of an independent and viable Palestinian state and jeopardizing 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 increase tensions and instability in the territory and in the region in general.
They urged the international community to shoulder its responsibilities and take clear and decisive measures to stop these violations, ensure respect for international law and safeguard the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination, end the occupation and establish an independent and sovereign State along the lines of June 4, 1967, with East Jerusalem as its capital.
Separately, the Ministry of External Affairs announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar will visit New York on February 18 to participate in a high-level briefing of the United Nations Security Council on the situation in Palestine.
The meeting will be chaired by the Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom in her capacity as President of the Security Council.
During the briefing, Dar will reaffirm Pakistan’s consistent and principled position on Palestine and reiterate his strong opposition to Israel’s recent illegal decisions to expand its control over the West Bank.
He will emphasize the need for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2803, increased humanitarian assistance and the early start of the recovery and reconstruction of Gaza.
The Deputy Prime Minister will also underline Pakistan’s continued commitment to 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 based on international law, leading to the realization of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian State based on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
On the sidelines of the visit, Dar will hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts to discuss matters of mutual interest.
