NEW YORK: Pakistan has urged Israel to comply with its international obligation to respect the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination, saying there will be no peace in the Middle East until an independent State of Palestine is formed.
In his address at the UN Security Council, Ambassador Munir Akram said that Israel is trying to impose to destroy Palestinian nationhood, and the world cannot accept it. Discussing the situation in the Middle East, he said that there would be no durable peace in the Holy land of Palestine until the creation of an independent, contiguous, and viable State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
Highlighting Palestinians’ inalienable rights, the Pakistani ambassador said that due to the right of self-determination, it is also incumbent on all countries, in accordance with the International Law and UN Charter, to ensure that any impediment to the Palestinian people’s exercise of right to self-determination is brought to an end.
In his address, he also condemned Israeli measures to seize Palestinian lands and construct Jewish settlements on occupied territories in breach of international law.
Pakistani envoy highlights discriminatory laws
The envoy highlighted the discriminatory laws that dispossess Palestinian people under Israeli occupation of their lands. He cited recent remarks by the UN special rapporteurs on adequate housing and the rights of internally displaced persons, who stated that such discrimination and the transfer of Israeli populations represent war crimes.
Condemning Israel’s violent crackdown on innocent worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s 3rd holiest site, during Ramadan, the ambassador said that Israel’s actions violate the Security Council’s resolutions and the right to freedom of worship. –APP
