ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has welcomed the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), saying Israel, as the occupying power, is under a binding duty under the Geneva Conventions to ensure the “basic needs” of Palestinians in Gaza.
The Foreign Office, in a statement on Thursday, said the ICJ has unequivocally established that Israel is under a legal obligation to facilitate and not obstruct humanitarian relief operations by the UN and its entities, especially the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
It has also reaffirmed the occupying power’s obligation to ensure that the Palestinians receive essential supplies of food, water, shelter, fuel, and medical care.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan participated in the written and oral proceedings of the case before the ICJ and reaffirmed its unwavering support for the UNRWA’s mandate as well as its indispensable and irreplaceable role in delivering life-saving assistance to the Palestinians.
Pakistan, in the statement, called for the immediate and full implementation of the Court’s Advisory Opinion, and the resumption of unhindered UNRWA operations in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.
It also reiterated its steadfast and unwavering support for the right of self-determination of the Palestinian people, and the realization of an independent, sovereign, viable and contiguous State of Palestine, based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
