Liaquat Ali
Islamabad: Pakistan has sounded the alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank, urging the international community and the United Nations Security Council to take immediate and concrete measures to protect Palestinians and prevent further escalation in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Speaking at the United Nations, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, expressed grave concern over the worsening security and humanitarian situation in the West Bank, warning that developments on the ground were creating further instability and posing an increasingly serious threat to the Palestinian population.
He called on the Security Council to respond without delay and fulfil its responsibility towards maintaining international peace and security and protecting civilians caught in conflict and occupation.
The Pakistani envoy said Israel’s actions in the occupied West Bank were aimed at consolidating and expanding its occupation, while the continued expansion of Israeli settlements had reached alarming proportions.
According to Pakistan, the settlement expansion is not merely changing the demographic and physical landscape of the occupied territory but is also contributing to the fragmentation of Palestinian land.
The envoy warned that the expansion of settlements in different parts of the West Bank was being used to create territorial discontinuity, making it increasingly difficult for Palestinians to maintain a contiguous territory.
Such developments, Pakistan argues, further undermine prospects for a negotiated political settlement and complicate international efforts aimed at achieving a durable solution to the Palestinian question.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad called for an immediate end to violence and attacks by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and stressed that those responsible for such acts must be held accountable.
He underscored the need for the international community to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians and prevent further deterioration of the security environment in the occupied territories.
Pakistan has consistently maintained that civilians must be protected in accordance with international law and that violations of international humanitarian law and human rights law cannot be allowed to continue without accountability.
The envoy’s remarks reflected Islamabad’s broader position that the international community must move beyond expressions of concern and take practical measures to prevent further violence and protect the Palestinian population.
The Pakistani representative also expressed serious concern over what he described as provocative actions at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, warning against developments that could further inflame tensions in the occupied Palestinian territories and across the wider region.
Al-Aqsa Mosque holds profound religious and historical significance and remains one of the most sensitive flashpoints in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Pakistan stressed the importance of safeguarding the sanctity of the holy site and preventing actions that could aggravate an already volatile situation.
The warning came against a backdrop of continuing tensions in the West Bank, where violence, settlement activity and restrictions affecting Palestinians have remained major sources of concern for the international community.
Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad urged the UN Security Council to respond to the deteriorating situation with urgency and take concrete measures rather than allowing the crisis to worsen further.
He specifically called on the Council to act on recommendations made by UNICEF and address the increasingly serious humanitarian and security conditions confronting Palestinians in the occupied territories.
The appeal placed particular emphasis on the protection of children and vulnerable civilians, amid concerns over the wider humanitarian consequences of prolonged violence and instability.
Pakistan’s call for action also reflected its long-standing position that the UN system has a responsibility to ensure protection for civilians and uphold international law in situations of prolonged conflict and occupation.
Pakistan has traditionally supported the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous Palestinian state along pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Pakistan has consistently supported the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and an independent state and has called for a just and lasting settlement based on international law and relevant UN resolutions.
Islamabad has also repeatedly urged the international community to ensure accountability for violations against Palestinian civilians and to prevent further displacement and territorial fragmentation.
The latest statement at the UN is therefore consistent with Pakistan’s longstanding diplomatic position on the Palestinian issue.
By taking the matter to the Security Council, Pakistan sought to draw renewed attention to developments in the West Bank and press the international community to translate diplomatic concern into concrete action.
The emphasis on UNICEF’s recommendations also underlined the humanitarian dimension of the crisis, particularly the need to protect children and other vulnerable groups from the consequences of continuing violence and instability.
