WASHINGTON: Pakistan has strongly condemned Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia’s civilian and economic infrastructure, reaffirming its support for the kingdom’s security and right to self-defence amid escalating regional tensions.
Speaking during a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on the Middle East, Pakistan’s Acting Permanent Representative, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, said: “These attacks must cease immediately.”
He reiterated Islamabad’s support for efforts to achieve a peaceful settlement in Yemen and backed the UN special envoy’s efforts to resume dialogue towards a comprehensive and lasting peace.
Statement by Ambassador Usman Jadoon,
Acting Permanent Representative of Pakistan to the UN,
At the UN Security Council Open Debate on the Situation in the Middle East
(15 October 2026)
***********Madam President,
I thank Acting Special Coordinator – Mr. Ramiz Alakbarov for his valuable briefing.
2. Today’s debate allows us to consider developments across the Middle East and their implications for regional peace and security.
3. Last month, during General Assembly High-Level Week, considerable attention was devoted to the Palestinian question. Across the various meetings and statements, a clear convergence emerged: the two-State solution remains the internationally agreed framework and the indispensable foundation for just and lasting peace. This international commitment to the two-State solution must be accompanied by concrete measures to preserve the territorial integrity and viability of the State of Palestine.
4. Resolution 2803, the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict and the New York Declaration provide mutually reinforcing frameworks for advancing this objective. Pakistan supports their full and good-faith implementation.
5. Yet, this consensus is being undermined by Israel’s deliberate attempts to create irreversible facts on the ground. In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settlement expansion, particularly the E1 project, threatens to sever Palestinian territorial contiguity. Settler violence, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement are entrenching annexation and dismantling the foundations of peace.
6. All settlement activities must cease in accordance with resolution 2334; settler violence must be halted; and accountability ensured. We strongly condemn the provocative and illegal incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and demand respect for the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites.
7. In Gaza, continued violations of the ceasefire, wanton killing of the Palestinian population and restrictions on humanitarian access, sadly, continue. The approaching winter threatens to deepen the crisis and suffering of families living amid destruction, without adequate shelter or essential services.
8. The ceasefire must be fully upheld, humanitarian assistance delivered unhindered and at scale, and recovery and reconstruction advanced without delay. UNRWA’s indispensable work must be supported. We reject forced displacement and any attempt to fragment Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which constitute a single territorial unit. Withheld Palestinian revenues must be released to enable the Palestinian Authority to fulfil its responsibilities.
9. Our collective efforts must converge on a credible, time-bound and irreversible political process ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable State of Palestine on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital. This remains the only credible foundation for a just and lasting resolution of the Palestinian question.
Madam President,
10. The rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen is deeply concerning. Pakistan strongly condemns the continued Houthi attacks against Saudi Arabia, including its civilian and economic infrastructure. These attacks must cease immediately.We reiterate our unwavering support for the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the brotherly Kingdom, and reaffirm its right to self-defense under international law against any external attacks.
11. Pakistan supports the UN Special Envoy’s efforts towards the resumption of dialogue for a comprehensive and lasting peace in Yemen .
12. In Lebanon, full implementation of resolution 1701, respect for the cessation of hostilities and Israeli withdrawal from the occupied territory remain essential. The Lebanese Government’s call for the continuation of UNIFIL and a sustained United Nations presence in Lebanon merits serious and favourable consideration by the Council.
13. Pakistan welcomes the Syrian government’s ongoing commendable efforts for fostering internal stability and putting the country on a positive trajectory. We reaffirm support for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. The 1974 Disengagement Agreement and Security Council resolutions 338 and 497 must be fully respected.
Madam President,
14. So long as the occupation continues and the Palestinian people’s legitimate yearning for self-determination goes unfulfilled, lasting peace in the Middle East will remain out of reach. We stand firmly and unwaveringly with the Palestinian people.
15. Pakistan remains committed to advancing dialogue and diplomacy in the region to help de-escalate tensions resolve differences and promote lasting peace and stability in the region.
I thank you.
*************
— Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) October 15, 2026
“We reiterate our unwavering support for the security, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the brotherly Kingdom, and reaffirm its right to self-defence under international law against any external attacks,” Jadoon said.
Pakistan also backed the UN special envoy’s efforts to resume dialogue aimed at achieving a comprehensive and lasting peace in Yemen.
Pakistan Backs Palestinian Rights
During the same session, Pakistan called for an end to settler violence in the occupied West Bank and urged Israel to abandon attempts to annex Palestinian territory.
Jadoon warned that settlement expansion, particularly the E1 project, threatened to divide Palestinian territory and undermine prospects for peace.
“In the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, settlement expansion, particularly the E1 project, threatens to sever Palestinian territorial contiguity. Settler violence, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement are entrenching annexation and dismantling the foundations of peace,” he said.
“All settlement activities must cease […]; settler violence must be halted; and accountability ensured.”
The E1 project, approved by Israel last year, would further separate occupied East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
Jadoon said international support for a two-state solution must be accompanied by concrete measures to preserve the territorial integrity and viability of a future Palestinian state.
“The two-state solution remains the internationally agreed framework and the indispensable foundation for just and lasting peace,” he said.
He added that UN Security Council Resolution 2803, the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict, and the New York Declaration provided complementary frameworks to advance that objective.
“Pakistan supports their full and good-faith implementation,” he said.
Jadoon also condemned Israeli incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque and called for respect for the historical and legal status quo at the holy sites.
“We strongly condemn the provocative and illegal incursions into Al-Aqsa Mosque/Al-Haram Al-Sharif and demand respect for the historical and legal status quo of the holy sites,” he added.
Gaza Ceasefire Concerns
Pakistan expressed concern over continued ceasefire violations in Gaza, Palestinian deaths and restrictions on humanitarian access.
Jadoon warned that the approaching winter could worsen conditions for families living amid widespread destruction without adequate shelter or essential services.
He called for the ceasefire to be fully upheld, humanitarian assistance to enter Gaza without obstruction and at scale, and recovery and reconstruction to begin without delay.
Pakistan also stressed the importance of supporting the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees and called for the release of withheld Palestinian revenues to enable the Palestinian Authority to fulfil its responsibilities.
Jadoon rejected forced displacement and any attempt to fragment Gaza and the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, which he described as a single territorial unit.
He urged the establishment of a “credible, time-bound and irreversible” political process to end the Israeli occupation and create an independent, sovereign, contiguous and viable Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
“Pakistan remains committed to advancing dialogue and diplomacy in the region to help de-escalate tensions, resolve differences and promote lasting peace and stability,” he said.
Lebanon And UNIFIL
Addressing the situation in Lebanon, Jadoon said the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, respect for the cessation of hostilities and Israel’s withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territory remained essential.
He also said Lebanon’s government had called for the continuation of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and a sustained United Nations presence in the country.
Jadoon said that request merited serious and favourable consideration by the Security Council.
Resolution 1701 provides the framework for ending hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah and addressing security arrangements along the Lebanon-Israel border.
Syria’s Sovereignty
Pakistan also expressed support for Syria’s efforts to restore internal stability and move towards a more positive trajectory.
Jadoon welcomed the Syrian government’s efforts and reaffirmed Islamabad’s support for the country’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.
He stressed that the 1974 Disengagement Agreement between Israel and Syria, along with UN Security Council Resolutions 338 and 497, must be fully respected.
Call For Lasting Peace
Concluding his remarks, Jadoon said lasting peace in the Middle East would remain out of reach as long as the Israeli occupation continued and the Palestinian people were denied their legitimate right to self-determination.
“We stand firmly and unwaveringly with the Palestinian people,” he said.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to dialogue and diplomacy as essential tools for reducing regional tensions, resolving differences and promoting lasting peace and stability.
