Pakistan Urges UN Action on Israel's West Bank Annexation

Pakistan has unequivocally condemned Israel's ongoing actions in the occupied West Bank, urging the international community to intervene against what it terms systematic annexation and the expansion of illegal settlements. Speaking at the United Nations, Pakistan's Permanent Representative, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, highlighted that these measures are not only a grave violation of international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, but also deliberately designed to permanently alter the situation on the ground and thwart the possibility of a viable Palestinian state.

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While international attention is consumed by multiple crises across the region, the systematic annexation of the occupied West Bank, expansion of illegal settlements, demolitions, land seizures and forced displacement of Palestinians continue unabated, and this requires our attention.

Ambassador Ahmad detailed the alarming scale of Israeli settlement expansion, noting that nearly 102 new settlements have been approved in the past four years, nearly doubling the previous number. He specifically pointed to the E-1 settlement project, which cuts through the heart of the West Bank, and the tendering of housing units east of Jerusalem, as efforts to make a contiguous Palestinian state geographically impossible. This aggressive expansion, coupled with escalating settler violence—which has reached unprecedented levels according to UN data—paints a grim picture of the reality on the ground for Palestinians.

From Pakistan's perspective, these actions represent a deliberate attempt to undermine the international consensus and the prospects for a just and lasting peace. The continued withholding of Palestinian tax revenues by Israel further exacerbates the fiscal crisis and weakens the Palestinian Authority's ability to provide essential services, a situation that Pakistan views with deep concern. The international community's attention, often diverted by other crises, must be refocused on the persistent and systematic violations occurring in the occupied territories.

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Israeli policies and illegal actions, unprecedented in scale and impact, are undermining the prospects for a viable Palestinian state.

Pakistan's consistent stance on the Palestinian issue, rooted in solidarity and a commitment to international law, underscores the urgency of the situation. The envoy's call for the immediate reversal of Israel's actions and adherence to relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334, reflects a broader demand for accountability and justice. The narrative often presented internationally, which may not fully capture the severity and systematic nature of these actions, is one that Pakistan seeks to counter by bringing these critical issues to the forefront of global discourse.

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All settler violence and settlement activities must cease, in full compliance with international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2334.